


In the Name of Asclepius

by TheDarkFlygon



Category: Caduceus | Trauma Center Series, IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Caduceus | Trauma Center Fusion, Alternate Universe - Hospital, Belligerent Sexual Tension, Brotherly Love, Developing Friendships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Families of Choice, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Terrorism, Light Angst, Medical Inaccuracies, Medical Procedures, Multi, Not Beta Read, POV Multiple, Past Character Death, Platonic Relationships, Possible Character Death, Surgery, Tsunderes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:27:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 84
Words: 115,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23935318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkFlygon/pseuds/TheDarkFlygon
Summary: Takanashi Tsumugi is a young surgeon in a world where advanced medicine has eradicated most "incurable" diseases. Under the careful eyes of her mentor Dr Orikasa and assistant nurse Osaka Sogo, she's starting a promising career.However, Tsumugi quickly finds herself thrown for a loop when she learns she possesses a rare ability named the Healing Touch; an ability which brings her on the first line of nothing short of a war waged against medicine by an underground network.
Relationships: Izumi Iori & Izumi Mitsuki, Izumi Iori/Takanashi Tsumugi, Kujou Ten & Nikaidou Yamato, Momo/Yuki (IDOLiSH7), Takanashi Tsumugi & Everyone, Takanashi Tsumugi & Yuki
Comments: 43
Kudos: 29





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this idea is weird. These two fandoms have nothing in common aside from hailing from Japanese games and me being a big-ass fan of them. It won't be for everyone's cup of tea, but that's why it's so fun: it's 100% my fantasy and it's 100% something only me would be crazy enough to attempt.  
> In other notes: welcome to the I7 TC AU. I've had the idea for a year or so and it feels good to finally be giving it some reality outside my mind.  
> The title was supposed to be temporary, but it's stuck around for so long I don't see myself changing it now, oops.
> 
> The prologue is a bit... bad, but I promise it gets better later. I'd know that, I'm more than 30 chapters in as we speak haha.  
> This story will take the same structure as the original TC games, Under the Knife and its "Wiimake" (not my words, but the Atlus USA PR team's) Second Opinion. Fear not, TC fans reading this: I'm throwing a couple curveballs into the mix to make it fun and spicier. I wouldn't let down my TC buddies after spamming them with this AU, would I?
> 
> This fic was also my Camp NaNoWriMo project for the April 2020 edition of the event. Find INA's CNNWM page here: https://nanowrimo.org/participants/thedarkflygon/projects/in-the-name-of-asclepius
> 
> Updates whenever I feel like spamming my readers with new content.

The journey to save the world starts like so many other tales: on a day like every single other day, where nothing is out of the ordinary and where everyone lives their lives as usual, including the heroes of this story.

And it won’t be any different for blooming surgeon Takanashi Tsumugi.

The year is 2018. Thanks to incredible medical research and progress, some of humanity’s worst dangers have been almost entirely eradicated, including illnesses deemed incurable for decades. At the head of this advance are some of the most modern countries in the world, with Japan spearheading the march towards better healthcare and the eradication of ailments which steal lives too early.

The peoples of the world now enjoy a more peaceful life thanks to the hardworking researchers and medical staff, despite the opposition to how fast evolution has become in the field of health, invoking the artificial character of the remedies born from what they call a feverish rage to fight the natural course of life. They’re loud and expressive, yet remain in the margins of society, staring at the lifesavers in the spotlight.

In this cosmos of ever-progressing, seemingly limitless medicine stands the modest Kibou Hospital. It serves its community to the best of its abilities with devoted staff and regularly renovated equipment, despite their fairly tight budget. Their quality of service has given them a reputation to be benevolent with their patients, making them quite the appreciated clinic in their area of operation. Most patients don’t hesitate expressing gratitude towards the doctors, nurses and cleaning agents who make Kibou work on a daily basis.

Due its smaller size and budget compared to other facilities in the area, it also hires less interns than the bigger hospitals nearby. However, it only compliments their reputation as one of the best healthcare providers in the area: each intern seem to have been personally taught by a full-fledged professional passionately passing their knowledge onto the incoming generation of specialists.

It’s in front of this tall, white building that stands a young woman with blond hair tied into a ponytail and hands fiddling together. She looks stressed, almost scared of entering through the glass doors for her very first shift. Indeed, this woman is no patient: in fact, she just became a surgeon in her own right after doing her residency in Kibou. As part of the happy few – whom she knows the importance and implications of having belonged to – she got the exceptional opportunity to continue working there, right beside her mentor.

She ties the ribbon of her blouse again and, after taking a deep breath, finally walks through the automatic doors. Her fingers are still tangled together, hidden away behind her back; but she’s smiling, her eyes looking fierce and sparkling with joyous light. The sun brushes against her skin as she makes her way to the staff room.

Little does this young surgeon, who just started blossoming and has yet to hone her skills, know how much she is going to impact the world around her and even more.


	2. Careful Eyes, Careful Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT I: Blooming Surgeon - Chapter 1]  
> Today is Tsumugi's big day: it's her first surgical procedure as the surgeon rather than the pupil!  
> Hopefully, it'll go as anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My normal upload schedule for this story is a chapter every two days, but I got impatient and really wanted to share an actual chapter soon after the prologue. It's still one of the shorter chapters, but I hope it at least gives a better taste.  
> Also, this story is split in a few acts, and this is the first. So, technically, like the game, this is meant to be episode 1-1. Yeet.

Rubbing her hands together, she pays very little attention to her surroundings while she walks down the corridors of Kibou Hospital. Before her mind can get astray, she shakes her head to get it back into the right state: she, of course, remembers she’s supposed to be focused and serious, which requires her to concentrate and be careful to everything around her. There’s no need to let her stress go to her head now, she knows it, but… She can’t help but feel nervous nonetheless! It sucks, but that’s how things are! She needs to learn how to manage her stress better.

Eventually, she gathers her courage and enters the lounge room, hair risen on her skin.

“Welcome, Dr Takanashi,” her mentor and now former teacher says calmly putting his cup of coffee to his lips as her steps come to a halt.

For him, it seems to be a day like all of the others before it: he’s wearing his usual lab coat, lime-coloured tie around his white collared shirt, stethoscope hanging around his neck, silver hair flowing on his shoulders. And, just as always, his demeanour is reassuring and cool.

“Good morning, Doctor,” the kind nurse next to him adds, bowing.

It really is business as usual: as always, Nurse Osaka glances at her with gentle eyes and an affectionate smile. He naturally looks soft, after all, from his tuff of lilac hair to his posture, his left arm holding his right against him. She’s lucky for the head nurse assigned to young surgeons to be this extraordinarily kind! Well, that’s when he’s not been made upset by someone else, at least… because she’s learnt to run for her life if that’s ever the case.

“H-hello everyone!” She replies, voice trembling in her knotted throat.

“There’s only the three of us here,” Dr Orikasa remarks, looking around. “Anyway, you know what day it is, today, right?”

“I-it’s Tuesday!”

“It sure is, but I think Dr Orikasa meant it was your first day as a full-fledged surgeon. How do you feel about this? Not too nervous, I hope?”

“I’m… I’m a little anxious, to be honest… but I won’t let that stop me!”

“Good. Then, shall we start the pre-operation conference of your first patient as a surgeon, Doctor?”

“Y-yes!”

Always so composed, Dr Orikasa picked up the medical profile of the patient, flipping through its few pages once he’s done tying his silver bun with his usual lime-coloured hair tie.

“The patient is a twenty-five-year-old young man in a fit condition. He fell from his bike and ended up being impaled with a few shards of glass. This should be nothing more than a routine operation, perfect for newcomers. Is there any question?”

“I don’t think so.”

“You’ll be assisted by Nurse Osaka during this procedure. Ask him questions if you ever have any issue, but I sincerely doubt you’ll have to ask him about anything. I’ll be observing from the monitoring station and will stand by in case anything is to go wrong which, again, I sincerely doubt will happen.”

“Thank you for your help, then!” She tells her future assistant.

“I’m only doing my job.”

“Are you ready to operate, then?”

With a little nervous knot in her throat, she eagerly replies.

“I’m ready!”

Facing an operation table as the surgeon instead of a student feels foreign, if not a little overwhelming, yet she braces herself.

“You look a little lost here, Doctor. Do I need to run you through the steps to follow?”

“N-no, I’ll be fine! Please just correct me if I do anything wrong!”

“Very well.”

Pulling herself together, Tsumugi first focuses on what’s on the surface: a couple glass shards inserted into the man’s arm and a few cuts that’ll she need to stich shut. Gently, she asks her assistant for the forceps, then pulls the shards out and deposes them on the tray Nurse Osaka is handing her, one by one. For now, considering how the life of her patient isn’t threatened, she figures she can privilege carefulness over speed. There’s no use in rushing into the operation today.

In a second time, she asks for the needle and sutures to be ready, but all her assistant give her is a vial of green gel. It seems like she’s forgotten a step, but in a sudden fret of panic, she can’t tell which one this is supposed to be! Isn’t she just supposed to stitch the cuts shut, then bandage them??

“Don’t forget to conceal the cuts left behind by the shards with the antibiotic gel, Doctor,” Nurse Osaka tells her in a soft voice. “They’ll help tremendously with scarring.”

“O-oh, that’s right! Plus, it disinfects the wounds, this way! How could I have forgotten about it?”

“Beginner’s mistake, I assume. Don’t fret over it.”

Her shoulders untense as she resumes her procedure, applying the gel over the cuts.

“Isn’t this gel a marvel of science? The concept of an antibiotic gel was theorized for years before, very recently, they actually found a way to make it a reality. It makes operating much easier, don’t you think?”

She doesn’t verbally reply, only nodding in silence as she finishes her deed.

“It’d seem like the patient’s vitals aren’t stabilizing yet, so there must be something buried under his skin.”

“We’ll open the arm, then. Gel and scalpel, please.”

She draws a line, then disinfects it and makes her incision. Sure enough, she’s directly introduced more glass shards. With a few forceps’ pinches, she gets them out of the patient, making sure to recover them with some more gel. Glancing at the vitals showing on the nearby screen, she notices they stabilized, causing her to sigh in relief under her mask.

“You may now close the patient, Doctor,” Nurse Osaka indicates as she puts the forceps on the tray.

With a steady hand, she stitches the cut back together. She applies what she learnt in med school and saw Dr Orikasa do so many times: cut the wire, apply antibiotic gel, apply bandage thoroughly and carefully over the entire wound.

“Operation complete. It was some nice work, Dr Takanashi.”

“Thank you very much for the words of encouragement. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without your help!”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Now, we should get going, shouldn’t we?”

“Ah, of course!”

They both exit the OR, then the changing room after switching back to their regular uniforms. To her surprise, once they’re out, they’re immediately met by Dr Orikasa slowly clapping his hands.

“D-Doctor?!” She yells, startled.

“Congratulations on officially becoming a surgeon, Tsumugi. How does it feel?”

“Ah… I’m not sure I’m realizing the change just yet, but… it’s such a weird thing to operate yourself! It’s got nothing to do with the simulations I’ve done or observing someone do it!”

“All surgeons go through this rite of passage, don’t they, Nurse Osaka?”

“They sure do,” he replies with a laugh. “You should take a breather now. You still look very nervous.”

“I… I’m just not sure of what I’m feeling, right now! But you’re right, a breather sounds about right. Thank you very much again for everything, Dr Orikasa, Nurse Osaka!”

“Don’t stress it. It’s only part of my missions as your senior.”

She bows down to them one last time before heading for the patio, legs almost wobbly under her weight. A breather sounds about what she needs at the moment.

As she leaves, she hears a conversation in the growing distance.

“She’s really grown since she first arrived here, hasn’t she?”

“Banri was right on her account. It’s not exactly a surprise his impression wasn’t wrong, of course, but she quickly learnt and improve. She’ll make for a great surgeon… as long as she can keep her cool.”

“I’m worried about that… especially since I won’t be able to watch over for much longer.”

“We can only trust her, now. I’m certain she’ll improve on that too.”

“You must be right, Doctor. Only future will tell anyway.”

On this, they go back to the lounge room, discussing their next procedure along the way.


	3. Cooperative Accordance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT I: Blooming Surgeon - Chapter 2]  
> Tsumugi operates on her first tumour as a surgeon with Nurse Osaka's guidance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't have a lot to say about this chapter. The early game of UTK/SO is very tame and just has very tutorial-ey levels that are kind of boring to put into words. Still, it was a nice way to get into the groove of things, since it also introduced me to my own universe and character dynamics, haha

Tsumugi is lucky and she knows it. It’s fortunate that no major event has forced the local hospitals to get difficult patients to treat. She’d have hated making people take care of all of the arduous patients because she can’t take care of them on her own yet!

She’s also very fortunate to have been assigned someone as kind and patient as Nurse Osaka. He always has a nice word for her, supportive or motivational, and never hesitates to reassure her about her insecurities, even when she’s asked a question for the third time in five minutes. What did she do to even deserve being assigned such a thoughtful assistant? He’s probably better at operating people than she is too!

They’re already in the pre-operation conference for a routine procedure.

“You’re going to have to remove a tumour from the patient’s stomach. I assume you know what method to use already, don’t you?”

“The Powell procedure, right? I’ve learnt about it, but never used it on an actual patient.”

“It’s a good thing I’ll be able to watch over you for this first, then!”

“Is there anything else for this operation?”

Nurse Osaka reads over the profile one more time, smiling.

“No, that’s all. There should be no complication with it. Are you ready?”

“I am. Let’s begin!”

The beginning of the procedure is nothing but standard: draw a line, apply gel, make an incision, carefully pull open. This time, however, nothing appears to be wrong: on the surface, at least, there isn’t a single thing that differs from her med school textbooks. The obvious solution is not to close down the patient, of course.

“Some experience surgeons can find tumours without resorting to using the ultrasound, but for today, you should use it to locate the issue. There should only be one.”

“Got it.”

She picks the machine in her hand and scans the organ, paying attention to where it’d detect anything odd. She soon gets interrupted by her assistant who points out with his finger a little stain which just appeared on the screen.

“Here! This has to be the tumour we’re looking for. Try incising at this spot while you have the position remembered.”

She only gives a nod as a response before following through with the suggestion, indeed revealing the tumour hiding under the tissue. Something seems to bother the nurse as he glances towards the monitor.

“Hmm… The patient’s vitals are a little low, don’t you think? We’re better safe than sorry, so you should inject some stabilizer inside of him.”

“Oh, you’re right, let’s do so!”

He hands her a syringe and a green vial from which she extracts some liquid, then injects into the organ. Instantly, his vitals rise back up. She wishes she knew its composition, considering it seems to produce miracles in whatever it gets injected into. A true lifesaver for pinch situations.

“We should be all good to go now. Do you need me to refresh you on the Powell procedure, Doctor?”

“I don’t think so, but I wouldn’t mind if you corrected me on any step I may get wrong.”

“Understood.”

It shouldn’t be too difficult: this tumour is benign and hasn’t gotten the time to metastasize. Now, all that’s left to do is to go through the bullet list again and make it a reality: drain the cytoplasm, excise the tumour, retrieve it from the organ, apply a membrane over the hole left behind with some gel. The membrane’s composition makes it so it won’t get rejected by the body, as Nurse Osaka is explaining.

Nothing goes against her as she applies the procedure, safely removing the tumour and leaving only barely noticeable traces of her work once the membrane starts fusing with the organic tissues. It’s so fortunate that this has gone so smoothly! She was afraid she may drop the membrane when trying to pick it up.

“Very nicely done, Doctor. You may close the patient now.”

She asks for the sutures, then for the gel, and finally for the bandage tape. It’s so odd how this has gone so smoothly when, surely, a lot of things could have gone wrong during this operation; but complaining about it would be calling for someone’s misery. She’s just relieved it’s gone like a textbook example of the Powell procedure!

“Operation complete. Excellent work, Dr Takanashi.”

“Thank you for your help, Nurse Osaka!”

This time, Dr Orikasa isn’t waiting for her at the exit of the room. Rather, he’s instead paying her a coffee in the lounge, inviting her to join his side in front of the dispenser as he orders for the both of them steaming Styrofoam cups. Nurse Osaka ends his shift with a “goodbye, have a nice afternoon”, leaving them alone in the little room.

“There’s something I need to show you,” he tells her with a soft smirk as he gets his change back from the machine.

“Really?” What could that be?

“Yes.” He retrieves his drink. “If you may follow me.”

Still holding her cup of coffee, she walks behind him. Seriously, what could this be? She’s not been a lot to this part of the hospital, or at least, not for extended periods of time: the few times she’s even had to wait here until now where when she needed to talk to Dr Orikasa or whenever he’d convoke her to his office. Aside from these precise (and, fortunately for her nerves, rare) occurrences, she’s never had much of a reason to come here, much less spend time there.

Eventually, they stop in front of a vaguely familiar wooden door, which he unlocks before opening. As soon as she gets to see the interior of the room, however, she suddenly remembers having been there before, albeit she seems to have forgotten the reason why. It can’t have been too important, she supposes, if she can’t recall…

One question immediately burns her curious tongue.

“Isn’t this Nurse Osaka’s office?”

“It _was_ his, indeed,” he answers while handing her the key he just used to get here, “although it’s all yours now.”

She hesitantly takes it, doubt filling her mind the more she looks at it and the more she looks around.

“I’m… I’m not stealing his place or anything, r-right?!”

“No, you’re not. In fact, Osaka is the one who brought the idea up and insisted on you having his office from now on. He even cleaned it for you so you could immediately and easily settle in.”

“Oh goodness… I’m very grateful…”

She doesn’t quite dare to touch the desk, nor anything, really. It feels like this place isn’t even hers, even if it feels pleasant…

“There’s something on your mind, right?” Dr Orikasa asks her.

“Where is he going to put his documents, though, now? I don’t want him to struggle because I just became a doctor myself!”

“Wait, you don’t know? Well, that’s awkward… Let me tell you, then.”

The news almost make her lose her balance.


	4. Requiem for a Tandem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT I: Blooming Surgeon - Chapter 3]  
> Something is about to change at Kibou Hospital. This is the story of the day right before that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is still real short because I don't have much to say about, y'know, a benign tumor operation.

The atmosphere is different, today, in the lounge. The air smells like sugar, spice, and caffeine; the low table is covered in glasses and by a white, pristine, paper nap; . Is there some kind of celebration to come? She may have been here for only a short time, but Tsumugi could have sworn they didn’t have a weekly, festive gathering around their trusty coffee table.

It makes suddenly much more sense when she remembers today is Nurse Osaka’s last day at Kibou. He’s apologized for his (not so) sudden departure for at least a week. How can she have even forgotten about that until so recently? That’s such disrespect towards the man who has helped her so much throughout the early difficulties of surgery! She needs to remember things more easily, she’s still a little overwhelmed by everything that comes with being a titular surgeon… That just won’t do!

Before long, and almost without her realizing due to her spacing out, the lounge fills up with numerous people, most of whom come and go. Everyone gives departure presents, heartfelt thanks, and good lucks to their head nurse, now about to leave them for good, even if he promises to pay them a visit at least once and as soon as he can. She sure hopes this isn’t the last time they’ll see each other: she hates farewells!

Truth be told, Tsumugi has always hated seeing people disappear from her life for good. She’s grown to resent abandonment, too familiar with the bittersweet flavour of the memories shared with persons on longer in her life. She won’t let one of her mentor figures become another shadow of the past, not on her watch, she promises!

“You know, I was hesitating to leave because of Tsumugi…” Nurse Osaka suddenly mentions, bringing his cup of coffee to his lips.

“You were?” She asks in all honesty.

“I was afraid of leaving you behind while you’re still this early into your career. I’ll be guilty as charged if you feel lost at any point when I could’ve been here to explain!”

“You know, Sogo, Tsumugi is going to get a new assistant later today,” Dr Orikasa replies “You shouldn’t worry yourself so much over her, she’ll be just fine.”

“I know, but still, I can’t help but be at least a little concerned for her!”

“You’ve always been this way with our other former residents, after all, I figure it’s too late for you to change.”

All Nurse Osaka does as a response is to chuckle.

Sometime later, they find themselves back into the pre-operation conference room. Her assistant reads through the patient profile for a last procedure in Kibou while she’s busy containing her feelings in an expanding heart. She’s going to miss him so, so much once he’ll be gone from her professional life…

“The patient is a forty-three-year-old man with several tumours about to metastasize in his stomach. Once again, we’ll use the Powell method to excise and extract these tumours without damaging anything as much as possible. Still, there should be nothing wrong with this procedure. Do you have any remark to make?”

“I don’t have any. Let’s start this operation!”

There isn’t much different with this one than the previous time she operated on tumours. It’s, in fact, starting to sound like routine: draw a line, apply gel, make an incision, scan for tumours with the ultrasound. She doesn’t feel confident just yet in guessing where they’d be with just her eyes, and she’d rather not have Nurse Osaka be concerned over her seemingly blindly cutting into the patient’s stomach.

Three shadows show up on the ultrasound, so she decides to reveal the three of them at once with quick incisions. The same number of tumours show up, for which she once again applies the Powell procedure with method and precision: drain, scalpel, forceps, membrane, gel, three times. It’s quite the lucky thing that antibiotic gel also has curing properties on the patient. Nurse Osaka was right: it’s indeed a medical miracle, a modern panacea.

“The vitals aren’t stabilizing…” She realizes as she glances back to the monitor, worry suddenly bubbling inside her chest.

“Then, there may be undiscovered tumours left in the patient’s stomach. It’d be safe to use the ultrasound again to check if the issue may be there.”

“You’re right, let’s do so.”

Nurse Osaka’s guess turns out to be correct: there is a new, fourth shadow that appears in a zone she may have not spotted the first time around. As soon as that’s discovered, she repeats the process she’s used on the all of the other tumours, relieved to see the vitals finally stabilizing.

“Nice work, Dr Takanashi. Let’s finish the procedure.”

One last stitch, some more gel and a bandage later, and it’s all done.

“Operation complete.”

Nurse Osaka’s last shift at Kibou is about to end, so they both quickly make their way out of the OR, out of their scrubs and into the lounge. She’ll go make her rounds of visits after the departure party is over: it can’t last for more than an hour anyway.

It’s clear everyone was waiting for the two of them to arrive, as Dr Orikasa serves the both of them fruit juice in fancier glasses than their usual cups. The atmosphere isn’t melancholic, far from it, even if her assistant has tears in his eyes he’s trying to dry with his arms whenever they get too close to pouring out. No, they’re celebrating past accomplishments and wishing the best of lucks for the future: this is happy and the ambient air, albeit a little heavy on her heart, is also warm and happy. It’s almost like getting gently smothered in a soft blanket.

Soon enough, and even later than Tsumugi and her mentor were, Dr Ogami, looking as sharp as always in his suit and purple ponytail going down his back, enters the room, asking if Nurse Osaka is still here. When the latter signals he is indeed still here, their director gives everyone a smile, asks for a rouse of applause, and nods in her direction.

Dr Ogami then starts a flattering speech all about how important and serviceable Nurse Osaka has been his departure from their hospital. As always, he has learnt it by heart and doesn’t need any sort of notes to follow as he does, words clearer than ever. It warms her heart to see so much care and love has been poured into every sentence. It testifies to how close-knit and important everyone is in this lovely hospital.

In a moment of exceptional, short-lived calm in the midst of the congratulations and words of good luck, Tsumugi finds herself next to her now former assistant, right next to the coffee machine. A thought escape her lips as they both observe their colleagues discussing in their own corner of the room.

“You know, I don’t think I could ever operate on someone I personally know, Nurse Osaka.”

This out-of-the-blue remark seems to surprise her colleague, who gives her a questioning, if not concerned glance.

“Why so?”

“I’m… I’m still always scared of losing my patient one way or the other, and I’m already easily nervous, so I don’t think I could pull myself together to operate on someone I knew! It’s not that I wouldn’t do so to save their life, I’d even pull in all my might – but I’d be terrified of possibly failing them, and it could handicap me during the procedure.”

“I see. I’ve had the same fear during all of my career too.”

“You do?! I thought it was just because I may too nervous, or a bit of a coward…”

“I don’t see it that way at all. On one hand, we’d rather have our loved ones not need to endure any life-saving operations, do we? And, on the other, you’re afraid that your own feelings would impede your ability. It’s difficult to hand a high-stress mission like an operation and put aside your natural concern for your loved ones. I’m certain everyone in the medical field feels this way.”

“You… You have a point there…”

She’s going to miss Nurse Osaka for sure. If not for his kindness, patience, and constant encouragement, then it’ll be for these conversations she now wishes they’d have had more often than that. Oh well, she can’t change the past: she’s glad she has his phone number, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bye Sogo, I liked writing you for... 3 chapters. Good luck with your new job.  
> See y'all in two days for a new character's introduction!


	5. Octave Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT I: Blooming Surgeon - Chapter 4]  
> Tsumugi meets someone new. It doesn't go as she expected it to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You must have seen it coming: Sogo was only here for a couple chapters. You may have also been wondering where Iori even was all this time, considering his relationship with Soogs is the first thing tagged for this fic. Well, here you go: everyone's favorite tsundere is debuting today.  
> 1-4 is notably the first actual episode of the game not to have an operation leve, by the way. The More You Know:tm:/

The atmosphere in the lounge is starting to turn sour. They’ve been here for half an hour and Nurse Osaka needs to leave soon: his shift has already ended, his partner is waiting for him at home and the clock keeps ticking. Yet, the new nurse isn’t here. She can see on Dr Orikasa’s face that it’s not normal, the smallest frown taking shape on his face.

“I hope nothing bad has happened to them on the way there…” Tsumugi wonders out loud, hands twirling together.

“There isn’t any news about an accident,” Osaka rises his eyes from his phone, a concerned expression on his face. “You didn’t get any call, Dr Orikasa?”

“Nothing,” the head surgeon replies as he puts his own cell back into his pants’ pocket.

Before long, however, a knock is heard on the door. As it’s open, they directly get a glimpse of someone who has just changed into a uniform, breathless.

“Sorry for my late arrival,” their new recruit says. “An old man had a heart attack right in my bus, so I had to take care of him until help arrived… I missed my stop…”

“I see. Well, it’s all fine, no need to apologize any further.” Dr Orikasa’s expression changes back to his usual calm smile. “It’s about time you both get acquainted, isn’t it?”

He clears his throat and points towards the newcomer. One of the first things that strikes Tsumugi is _his_ general appearance: he’s around her age, probably older than her, with jet black hair in dishevelled bangs (which she can, in all fairness, attribute to how hurried he must have been to reach Kibou) and piercing silver eyes that are absolutely judging her right as she thinks.

For a nurse, he looks… oddly sharp. Unlike Osaka, who is nothing short of a wingless angel with the patience of a god and the gentleness of a satin duvet, his entire demeanour and appearance are strict, if not menacing. The way he looks around before glaring at her doesn’t reassure her in the slightest.

“Dr Takanashi,” Dr Orikasa’s voice breaks her out of her trance, “this is your new assistant nurse. Would you please introduce yourself?”

“I’m Izumi Iori. It’s a pleasure to join your staff. I’m looking forward to working with everyone.”

He doesn’t sound as enthusiastic as the words he uses would imply. Perhaps he’s just like that?

“And I’m Takanashi Tsumugi! I’ve recently become a surgeon, so please bear with me!”

Her response doesn’t please him any further, it’d seem. His reaction can be summarized by the way he lifts his eyebrows as if she just said an unfunny joke. Uh oh, it seems like they’re not beginning on the right foot…

“Welcome, Nurse Izumi, to Kibou Hospital!” Osaka bows to the younger man, gently smiling. “Thank you for taking care of Takanashi in my future absence.”

“Thank you for all your services,” Izumi bows back.

“On that, I finally feel at peace leaving Kibou. Takanashi, take care, okay? And if you need any help with anything, you know who to call. I may not be available at all times, but I’ll do what I can.”

“Understood, Nurse Osaka. I wish you the best!”

As he wanted, his departure is short and solemn. No confetti gets thrown; no song gets sung. Anything more would have been overkill, she supposes. Still, she doesn’t see herself bothering him through the phone…

“Anyway. We all have work to get back to, so I’ll leave you two to get to know each other. Don’t forget your scheduled operations, Dr Takanashi.”

“Will do, Doctor!”

They both watch Dr Orikasa leave the room before she turns back to him. Izumi is staring right at her with that intense, sharp gaze of his, almost causing her to freeze rather than tell him what she wants to. Still, she pushes through the sudden wave of dread that shakes through her spine.

“So! What about I show you around? You’ve never been here before, right?”

“I haven’t gotten the time to scale the place. I’ll be fine on my own. If you have any unfinished paperwork, you should rather take care of it before giving me any tour.”

Oh… He’s cutthroat, isn’t he? Matches everything else about him so far.

“W-well, I do have unfinished paperwork waiting for me… which means I can still show you around my office! I guess you can discover the hospital by yourself, though…”

He sighs, “fine. I need to know where our base of operation is going to be anyway.”

She doesn’t know if the smile she tries giving him is any appropriate in his eyes, right this instant.

Nonetheless, they get to the front of her office with nothing but the echoes of their footsteps and the squeaking noises of their shoes to fill the silence. She fumbles with her key before, almost in a strike of luck, she manages to unlock the door and opens it. Izumi’s reaction is immediate.

“What is this mess?!” He asks, _appalled_. “This is unfit of a surgeon! How can you ever hope of finding any important document in such a messy pile of folders?!”

“Well, huh… I just do! The most urgent files are always,” she goes to her desk and points to an admittedly disgrace of a pile of papers, “right next to my computer! That way, it’s easy to find them as soon as I need them!”

“And for older medical records?”

“Huh… I’m not sure why I’d need these on hand, so they must be in my drawers…”

“You need to have an organized workspace, Doctor. This is _intolerable_.”

“I’ll clean it if you want, then!”

“It’s not if I want! It’s a question of proper surgeon manners!”

“U-understood…”

They’re starting on _very_ good terms, huh… Well, they’ll have to mend sooner or later, so she better do as he says and clean her desk. As annoying as that sounds, and as silly as it must look for a surgeon to follow her brand-new nurse assistant’s orders like a puppy, their working relationship is more important than that. Plus, he must be right about something, right? Being organized sounds like a better way to streamline the most annoying aspect of being a surgeon: paperwork.

Not that he looks pleased with her attempts at tidying everything up, but that’ll have to do: she doesn’t have all the time in the world to make sure her office is all squeaky-clean. As she does reorganize her papers, however, a thought emerges in her mind: they’re really going to have to match each other’s pace and habits.


	6. Cacophonic Duet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT I: Blooming Surgeon- Chapter 5]  
> Tsumugi and Iori argue over a bunch of polyps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my city now, so I decide who lives, who dies, and who tells your story.  
> 1-5 is, ironically, one of my fav operations in one of my least favorite chapters. I'm just not a fan of how canon Angie is written in general (despite loving her to bits, I know it's my version of her I love), but man is lasering polyps amusing.  
> The patient in this is an obvious cameo that was suggested to me by I think Jou because the patient from 1-5 is a musician too. I just found it too fitting not to use that idea for INA.

“Dr Takanashi,” Izumi’s sour tone breaks her away from her paperwork, “your newest patient has arrived. Can I make them enter?”

“Oh, of course, go for it! Lemme just get prepared for it…”

“You’ve known you had an appointment with Mr Osaka for a couple weeks. That’s how non-emergency surgeries _work_. You should’ve been ready for it _earlier than that_ , Doctor.”

“Got it, got it! You can make the patient come in, I’m ready now!”

She sits at her desk, quickly shuffling some papers away, piling them aggressively into one of her drawers as a blond man enters the room. He’s constantly clearing his throat, clearly bothered by it; but she can’t make a comment on that just yet. At least, now that she’s a working surgeon and that Izumi is there to scrutinize her every move, she can’t mess up and make a ridiculous-sounding remark.

Speaking of Izumi, he doesn’t sit next to her on the second chair she prepared for her assistant before Nurse Osaka’s departure. Instead, he just stands behind her, arms behind his back, looking at the patient. Taken out of context, he looks more like her right-arm or her bodyguard that her assisting nurse. Not exactly her definition of Prince Charming, nor the poster child for a nurse, and he does seem to be intimidating her patient; but, hey, what can she do about it? He’s more competent than she is, she can’t complain. Even if, on second thought, perhaps it’d be better if he didn’t look this threatening…

“Good morning, Mr Osaka. I’m Dr Takanashi, and I’ll be your surgeon for today. This is my assistant, Nurse Izumi. He may look a little scary, but I guarantee you, he’s more than competent!” His glare sends a shiver down her spine. “Let me see your file, I have it right there…”

Okay, she needs to give her menacing assistant something: he _was_ right about her office being a bit of a mess. She’ll have to ask him for advice on how to make it neat and easy to find things in. Also, this last name does remind her of something…

“Good morning, Doctor,” the patient replies with a familiar smile and tone, albeit they’re both tainted with an idea of sadness. “My nephew recommended you to me, so I believe I’m in good hands. What would be my condition, then?”

She now has both pressure and stakes on her shoulders, but she can’t let it get to her head! At least, to her luck and allowing her to get a little less stressed, her hand easily finds back the file she needs, which she proceeds to open and read her observations.

“Let’s go over your symptoms once again first. You say you suffer from constant sore throat and have recently started coughing up blood.”

“That’s right.”

“The tests have revealed that there are multiple polyps in your throat that have caused these symptoms to appear. We’re going to surgically remove them, after which you’ll be able to sing again!”

“This is good, then. I wouldn’t want to make my associates wait for me for too long. I promised my nephew we’d make a song together.”

“I’m afraid that’ll have to happen after some recovery time,” Izumi chimes in as he side-eyes her.

“I see… I hope he’ll understand then.”

Feeling like this might have hurt the patient, Tsumugi needs to get the mood back up… if Izumi allows for it, at least.

“Don’t worry, sir, we’ll do our best; the operation will go as smoothly as possible!”

“I’m entrusting my life into your hands, then, Dr Takanashi.”

Before she knows it, they’re heading for the OR, dressed for the occasion, when Izumi whispers something to her:

“Why didn’t you convince him more than that?”

“What do you mean? I told him it’d go smoothly, didn’t I?”

“Yes, sure, but you’re supposed to tell a patient they’ll be fine and cured once the operation will be done! Have you never been operated before?!”

“I… haven’t, actually. Have you?”

Izumi doesn’t reply.

“That’s none of your business, Doctor. Moreover, you better focus on today’s procedure, rather than ask pointless and unrelated questions.”

“I was simply curious, that’s it… But you’re right, we need to focus on the procedure.”

Starting an operation is less and less stressful on her mind, at least, the beginning is: draw a line, disinfect, make an incision. Today is somewhat different because, of course, it’s a sort of maiden voyage: it’s her first procedure with her new assistant. The atmosphere is entirely different from what it was with Nurse Osaka: instead of feeling gently watched over by careful yet tender eyes, she now feels observed by a superior, almost crushing force which shines with perfection.

With his gaze fixated on her every move, she’s slower than usual, making sure her cut is perfect and so is the way she switches between tools. Requesting one from him sounds like asking for his harsh words to wash over again, so she tries avoiding them; even if, after a little while, she realizes it’d probably anger him even further not to make the procedure optimal.

“The zone we need to operate on is narrow and sensitive,” he tells her as they both stare at the throat of their patient. “You’ll need to use the magnification tool before proceeding.”

“Understood.”

She picks up the appropriate tool, whose appearance is very close to the one they use for ultrasound scans, putting it between them and the operated area. She lets Izumi set it properly, his slender hands carefully zooming to the right extent.

“You’ll need to use the laser to remove the polyps, but first, we need to drain the blood puddles that have formed around them.”

“Roger!”

She asks for the drain, then follows his instructions: drain the blood, laser the polyps while trying to damage as little tissue as possible, drain more of the blood if a new puddle has formed, apply antibiotic gel to the holes left behind, rinse and repeat.

The procedure goes without much issue: if she can’t prevent any small-scale haemorrhage from appearing, she still takes care of the issue as well as she can. The patient’s vitals are fairly stable too, so she finds herself injecting stabilizer into her patient’s body only once. Nurse Osaka’s uncle is going to be able to sing again!

Izumi’s gaze gets heavier and heavier with every single one of her moves, so she quickly finishes lasering the last polyps. There are more than they thought there’d be, so she almost gets scared, but pulls through anyway and closes the patient back up.

“…nice work, Dr Takanashi,” Izumi states in a flat, if not downright disappointed tone.

For the remainder of the day, even as she fulfils her paperwork, she can’t get over the contempt in his last words before they left the OR, pen twirling between her fingers. He was absolutely not impressed, that’s for sure. Perhaps he wanted to be assigned to Dr Orikasa, but got stuck with her instead because of Nurse Osaka’s departure? In this case, maybe she should tell her mentor about it, Izumi would be much better for a seasoned veteran rather than a beginner like her…

They’re not getting along at all. She doesn’t dislike him, absolutely not, but he hates her, she’s sure of it. It doesn’t seem like he wants to tell her his reasons, so she can only speculate (and, most likely, overthink) on them until he wants to… if he ever does, of course. She won’t force a word out of his mouth, that’d only make their rocky relationship grow even worse. What can she do to fix it, then?

Still, she gets a smile put back on her face when she makes her rounds. Mr Osaka has woken up and seems content, even if he can’t talk at the moment. He’ll only need to stay here for a single night too, which is great: it’s to make sure his sutures don’t open back up. Izumi recommended her to do so, so she followed through with it: until now, all of his calls have been correct. Again, he’d probably work much better with Dr Orikasa, rather than her…

A list going through a dozen bullet points on things she hasn’t done well during the procedure left on her desk by her assistant (unsigned, but this sharp and precise handwriting can only be his) only confirms what she’s been thinking all-day long: between the two of them, he’s the most experienced one, and there’s no doubt about it, as much as it pains her to have to recognize it this early in her career.

How old even is Izumi? Actually, who even is he? She barely knows anything about him. He hasn’t really introduced himself in details, so all she knows comes from her observations: he’s an excellent nurse, a paragon of perfection, doubtful (to say the least) of her abilities, and strict. He’s a little stiff too, but that could be because he’s just arrived there. He pays a lot of attention to details and follows procedures and methods scrupulously.

Even if he doesn’t like her, she wants to know more about him, as if drawn to his unique personality and his aura of perfection. At least, it’d be good for their duo in the workplace: they need to know each other to work in collaboration, don’t they? He can’t deny her that fact…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I guess Satoshi will be able to make some dank-ass music with Sogo soon?


	7. Cooperative Dissonance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT I: Blooming Surgeon - Chapter 6]  
> The path to becoming a fully fledged surgeon is covered in close misses and almost fatal errors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1-6 is one of my *least* favorite episodes in UTK/SO. This is why this chapter is one of the shortest of the entire story lmao, after the prologue that is. And that's even when trying to bulk it up because, simply put, inflammations are boring to describe. They're one of the procedure types I like the least in TC (with aneurysms and some more spoilery stuff). I hope this is readable anyway.  
> By the way, this is technically the beginning of the third part of Act I (the first being the Nurse Osaka Arc and the second being the New Face Duology). I need a fancy name for it though.

Another day, another batch of patients to take care of. As much as she loves watching hers recover, Tsumugi still doesn’t quite appreciate how situations can get out of hand at times, or how judgemental her assistant has become. To be fair, Izumi has glared at her since the beginning, looking at her with less and less respect for her with each passing conversation they may have had. At least, that’s the impression she’s having: this man must hate her.

Izumi has given her nothing but harsh criticism ever since he arrived. Unlike Nurse Osaka, he seems to have very little regard to the sharpness of his words. She’s grown accustomed to fairly strict criticism during me school, and yet it just stings even worse to be scolded by her assistant. Perhaps it’s because she knows very well he always has a point and just phrases it in the worst possible way at times. He means well, of course, and it’s clear by what he scolds her on; yet she can’t brush off the idea he must hate her and hold her in contempt. Why he got assigned to _her_ of all people in Kibou really is beyond her.

That becomes clear again during today’s last pre-operation conference. He may have glared at her all-day long, but the more they go on, the more he doubts her abilities.

“The patient is a fifty-seven-year-old man who has been complaining about abdominal pains. He just got admitted for them in our hospital. The tests have shown the presence of inflamed zones on his intestines. Your objective is, according to what’s written on his profile at least, to—”

“We just need to take care of these inflammations in his intestines, then, right? This is nothing we haven’t seen yet, so this should be smooth sailing!”

“I sincerely doubt it. His results have shown he may be suffering from secondary conditions like undiagnosed asthma. We need to be _careful_.”

“We’ll see, then.” She’s got a good feeling about this. “Let’s begin the operation!”

As always, she disinfects the concerned zone and makes her cut, granting herself access to the patient’s organs. Sure enough, most of his intestines are inflamed, prompting her to call for a syringe and a vial of anti-inflammatory. And, as she’s growing accustomed to, she gets served quickly and excellently, the trail never shaking even a little. As difficult as Izumi may be to work with, there’s no denying he’s a perfect assistant in the OR.

Little by little, she pushes the liquid into the inflamed areas, causing them to quickly deflate and calm down. From time to time, she asks Izumi to switch vials so she can inject a little stabilizer into her patient and maintain his vitals nice and high. It gives her a welcome feeling of security too: as long as his vitals don’t plummet to the ground and she knows what she’s doing, he’ll be fine.

“Okay, that should do it!” She proclaims as she injects the last inflammatory zone with her syringe. “Let’s close him up and call it a day!”

“We should wait and see if the patient’s state doesn’t devolve first. Use the ultrasound to check.”

“There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong, though. What do you think there is?”

“ _Use the ultrasound_.”

Seeing as he isn’t going to let go of it, and is instead growing restlessly insistent, she decides to follow through. There’s no point in arguing over their patient when she can quickly show him he’s concerned over little chances of a complication. As expected, nothing shows up under the ultrasound.

“Izumi, there’s nothing wrong with him! The operation is over, it—”

“Use the ultrasound more thoroughly, then! There _must_ be something wrong! His condition _isn’t_ stabilizing!”

She rises her head to the vitals, noticing he’s right on that.

“Well then, huh… We can do an ultrasound again, if you’re this concerned, I suppose?”

She scans through the intestines again, only for his hand to suddenly take the machine out of her hands.

“This is an _aneurysm_!”

Oh no. This is bad.

“Where?!”

“Right there!” He points to an evidently wrong zone with his finger, a bulging vessel under it. “We need another tranquilizer altogether, and because of _your_ carelessness, _I_ don’t have it on hand!”

This is terribly, terribly bad.

“H-huh?!”

“Stay here and make sure he doesn’t die on us!”

He scrambles in the OR to find an appropriate vial while she… stands there, staring at the inflated blood vessel growing in size right under her helpless eyes. The syringe she was holding drops from her hands, causing itself to break upon meeting the floor.

This is beyond terrible. She’s losing the patient, and she can’t do anything about it! She doesn’t have the appropriate medicine to treat it! Izumi told her about it beforehand and she didn’t think about getting any other sort of tranquilizer out! Oh, and his vitals are dropping fast, how… What can she do?! If only she didn’t break her syringe like an idiot! Where’s the tray—

“I told you so, I _knew_ there was something wrong with that patient!” Izumi yells at her, loudly slamming the syringe and another vial into her hands. “Here, take that tranquilizer! I’ll go get Dr Orikasa, you watch the vitals and use stabilizer in case we’re about to lose him! Don’t make this any worse than you’ve already done!”

What’s left for her to do other than watching the nurse storm out of the room and silently obey his orders? That’s right, _nothing_ ; so all she can do is try and fix whatever she can of this disaster, hand trembling too much to properly target the blood vessel mocking her with a risk of bleeding out. As such, she plunges the bit of a substitute syringe into the stabilizer vial with tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

 _Don’t cry, just operate, this isn’t about you_. She better turn the tide around until someone better than her comes around. _It’s all your fault anyway, so you better fix it._


	8. Shame on You, Shame on Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT I: Blooming Surgeon - Chapter 7]  
> Tsumugi gets called into her director's office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can get an under 1K-word chapter that isn't based on a game episode, as a treat.  
> This is the first out of a few chapters I added for the sake of furthering the narrative and other tidbits like that.

It was obvious she’d get called in the director’s office after such a disaster. She blatantly disregarded her assistant’s rightfully doubtful statements and almost let a patient die because of her own mistakes. She should’ve given a more detailed look at the results, but got lost with another file, and there she went down the path…

She walks in front of the desk, right to the accused’s bar. Arms behind her back, still dressed in her usual uniform with her lab coat far, far away from her undeserving shoulders, she has nothing to defend herself with. And, really, what is there to defend?

“Thank you for coming this quickly. Now, rise your head.”

She finally looks up from the ground, discovering a vision that sends shivers down her spine: for the first time in so long, she sees Dr Ogami frown upon her, the soft and warm smile she’s grown up around very much gone from his face.

“I’m certain you know how bad this is, Dr Takanashi.”

Her eyes are firmly planted in the ground, her feet much less. She feels like digging herself a hole with her itching, bloodied hands. She may have washed them as soon as she exited the OR, but that was more of a reflex than anything.

“…I do, Doctor. I am sincerely sorry for my mistakes.”

“I hope this will not happen again. You’re fortunate the patient has survived.”

“Indeed.”

He sighs, his harsh glare softening.

“I know you’re still a beginner, but this is no excuse for you to commit such obvious medical errors. You need to put the patient first and everything else second, even if you’re certain the operation is finished. It isn’t until their condition has definitely stabilized. Am I clear?”

“Perfectly, sir.”

A knock on the door interrupts them, piercing through the silence that’s about to settle.

“Yes?”

As if the situation couldn’t get worse for her, Izumi makes his way in, breathing heavily. He seems furious at first, but as she looks a little more into it, he seems more pained than anything.

“Dr Ogami, can I explain what happened in this OR exactly?”

Their director seems more than doubtful about it, a hand on his chin, but he nods anyway.

“If you wish, go for it.”

Izumi clears his throat. His stance becomes straighter right before he starts speaking.

“Dr Takanashi didn’t take in account potential complications the patient could face during this operation. As a result, we almost lost the patient to internal haemorrhaging. Would have Dr Orikasa not been available, we’d have lost this patient to a critical medical error on our part.”

“This is what I’ve heard happened. Is there anything more you want to add?”

“I’m here to say this isn’t entirely Dr Takanashi’s responsibility. I should have foreseen it coming, as she can be careless. Moreover, if I had been more insistent on making sure we had the right tools, including the tranquilizer needed to deal with the potential danger that were aneurysms, perhaps we could have avoided this situation.”

“So, what you’re essentially saying is that it’s both of your responsibility?”

“It’s mostly hers, as she was the operating surgeon, but I assume the responsibility of not having stopped it when I could have.”

“I see. Thank you for your input, Izumi.”

“I’ve said everything I wanted to. May I now take my leave, Doctor?”

“You may.”

As Izumi leaves the room, silence follows for a short moment. Dr Ogami soon resumes the one-sided conversation, not unlike the judge about to pronounce his verdict over her guilty head. She wouldn’t be surprised if he decided she wasn’t worth the trouble. After all, what good is there in keeping a surgeon who has messed up in such terrible fashion?

“Since this is the first time, we’ll have to let it through. After all, you have just begun as a surgeon. Again, this is _never_ to happen again, am I clear?”

“…yes sir.”

“I know surgery is nerve-wracking, but you didn’t choose this path to have an easy time, did you?”

“Of course.”

“Think about what it means to be a doctor to you, why and how much it matters to you. It’ll be clearer once you do.”

“I’ll do so.”

“Good. You may take your leave, Dr Takanashi.”

She doesn’t add anything, instead obeying in complete silence with heavy footsteps and a shuddering breath. Tears are about to spill, but she can’t let them flow now: at best, that’d be disrespecting her superior. Once she’s outside, perhaps…

When she exits the room, the first thing she spots is Izumi waiting next to the door, arms crossed.

“Izumi, why… Why would you defend me?” She asks him, confused.

“I only stated what happened and I stand by everything I said in there. There is no use rushing headfirst into things apart from bringing the patient to an early grave. You need to do everything perfectly so you won’t risk any sloppy movement that could damage or even kill your patient.” His scowl grows deeper, darker, sharper. “You need to seriously think things through instead of rushing into a procedure, Dr Takanashi. You won’t be a real doctor until you do.”

His words sting her to tears but, as they ring true and entirely deserved, she can’t let herself cry in front of him, not after this catastrophic unfolding.

“…I…”

Yep, she’s got _no way_ to respond to that.

“I don’t have anything else to add. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow. I merely hope you didn’t get fired or sent back to med school.”

Instead of replying, overtaken by shame and overwhelmed by the negativity suddenly spiking inside her mind, she runs away from the hospital and into the pouring rain, still dressed in her surgeon uniform.


	9. Second-Hand Reflections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT I: Blooming Surgeon - Chapter 8]  
> Tsumugi has a discussion with herself under the rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't we all love it when our leads just go into brooding under the rain mode?

Well, that was _less than glorious_ on her part, that’s for sure…

If it weren’t for Dr Orikasa, they surely would have lost the patient. Izumi was right to yell at her the way he did, even if he was giving orders and disrespecting hierarchy in the OR. Scratch that: it’d have been better if he did it right in front of Dr Ogami. That way, she couldn’t have had any way out of the situation and he’d have known just how much she messed up on this one, she’d have had to assume her acts right here and there.

She doesn’t lift her head. How could she face _anyone_ now? She must be the biggest shame Kibou has ever trained and employed. As such, the only things she sees are the ever-darkening sidewalks and the rain droplets falling from her soaked hair which, in turn, is rapidly turning dark blonde. She’ll most likely mess up again anyway: she should’ve been prepared, as Izumi said. He’s older than her and always right, after all. Maybe he should be the surgeon instead of her.

No, that’s wrong, isn’t it? Wallowing in her own self-pity won’t do herself any favour. In fact, she can already hear Izumi scold her for being nothing more than a self-centred coward. It’s also because she _was_ a wishy-washy idiot on this operation that she failed it: if she had been braver, if she had faced the potential complications head-on instead of convincing herself nothing could go wrong out of _fear_ , then she’d have been able to successfully conduct the operation even when aneurysms appeared.

She needs to pick herself back up, but how? She just humiliated both Kibou in its entirety and all of her mentors. She even disgraced Banri by doing that, considering he’s the one who recommended her to the hospital before she was even out of med school. It’s true that her results to the exams helped, yet there’s no denying he helped tremendously in her being accepted into Kibou as a resident, then as a surgeon. She needs to honour him, on top of also honouring Nurse Osaka and Dr Orikasa, but again, _how_?

Maybe the melancholic beat of the heavy rain will help her figure something out. It’s helped her focus and find the solution to some of other problems before, why would it give up on her now? She needs help from wherever she can find it: meteorological phenomena can’t betray you, right? Well, she supposes it’s sort of a make-believe thing, in these cases, so as long as she believes the rain will help her, then it will. That’d make the placebo effect convenient, right about now.

Why did she become a doctor? Why did she go through the hardships of medical school, then residency? She chose this life for herself and went down a path where she could save the lives she saw wither and vanish away in front of her helpless eyes and powerless hands, didn’t she? She was told she wouldn’t be able to save every life she’d operate on, sure, but that doesn’t mean she get to just bail out now and never assume the consequences of her actions, instead backing herself in a corner of shadows.

For that, to give up on the first failure she makes, one that ended up being non-lethal in the scheme of things? She may be ashamed of herself at the moment, but it’d be a waste of time and effort to just run away forever now, right? As Izumi said, she didn’t get fired: as ashamed of herself as she is at the moment, and for good reasons, she needs to pull herself together and seize the second chance she’s been given.

If she doesn’t break out of the loop now, she won’t ever be able to recover, so she needs something to prove to herself – and, by extent, to her colleagues – she’s a capable surgeon who’ll save endangered lives as long as she can lift a scalpel. Still, she does need a way to do so, an opportunity if she dared say it. It sounds incredibly selfish put that way, no matter how much she thinks she’s also doing so for Banri’s honour and Izumi’s peace of mind. Surely having the feeling he’s working with someone competent will make him more at ease at work, especially around her.

And there, right as she lifts her head, she sees a catastrophe unfold in front of her eyes: a car has hit a man riding his bicycle. The man is ejected from his vehicle, then crashes right into the driver’s windshield, shards of glass invading the scene with a sickening crash. Another car crashes from behind, adding even more glass and blood to the situation. Someone already on the scene (who seems to be a paramedic on her day off, rushing to the injured party on lightning-speed legs) calls for an ambulance. At least, someone has had the right reflexes to have on such a scene, even if–

Oh _no_!

If she’s not wrong, they’re not far from Kibou Hospital, which means the ambulance will absolutely go to their emergency services. Moreover, most of the doctors in the area are out of town to attend a nationwide medical conference about a new remedy against genetical disorders, so Dr Orikasa and their other colleagues may not be here, and what little surgeons they have may already be busy. That’d make her almost the only surgeon in town, and one of the only two on duty. Then, considering how many are injured and how bad their conditions are going to be, this means…

…this is bad! Actually, “bad” doesn’t She needs to imperatively make it there in time so they can save the injured man! There are sirens blasting in the distance too, so she has to make it quick and effective. This is a life-or-death situation, she can’t mess that up! She’ll save this patient, but first, she needs a ride there. Well, it seems like she’s in luck tonight!

She waves her hand at a nearby taxi, practically begging him to stop with flailing arms, before rapidly telling the driver to speed to Kibou as much as possible under the pouring rain and traffic disturbances. They need to be fast, sure, but not fast enough that they both end up on the list of casualties.

She’s not going to let someone die tonight, not on her watch.


	10. Mending Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT I: Blooming Surgeon - Finale]  
> Tsumugi does all she can to save someone from the brink of death and, while she's at it, prevent her relationship with Izumi from sinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the climax and end of Act I, so it's the one (1) chapter I really wanted to share with y'all.  
> 1-8 is one of TC's iconic chapters due to shoving your hands into the very inaccurate medical stuff this franchise is all about. Its procedure is iconic, its importance to the plot is iconic, and it's the first taste to one of the series' gimmick. You'll see what I mean in this chapter.

Getting down from the taxi, Tsumugi’s right foot almost glides against the slippery floor, threatening to make her trip, but she keeps her balance and rushes into the hospital. Sure enough, as she predicted, there is somehow no surgeon on call aside from her, as everyone else is busy or resting. She’s made the grave mistake of going outside to take a (long) breather, she better correct that mistake and all of the others she’s made today!

She quickly asks an anxious-sounding nurse where they transported the patient from the nearby car crash, then runs in that direction. She knows Nurse Osaka and Dr Orikasa have both told her not to do that in the hallways: if it’s a matter of life or death, she considers she can ignore the rule, just this once. She’s always a good girl: sometimes, you need to put aside decency rules for the sake of others.

She quickly disinfects her hands and puts on her scrubs, during which she quickly goes over the patient profile let there by whomever was tasked with maintaining the patient alive, then enters the OR.

There, she finds quite the disturbing sight: the patient is barely holding on, his vitals crashing to the ground as she makes her way to the operation table, with a panicked, borderline hyperventilating Izumi right next to him, holding a defibrillator in unstable hands. Even with a mask and scrubs on, she can sense the sheer anguish radiating from her assistant. What caused him to lose his composure to the point of primal fear, when he’s usually so calm? Only one way to find out, she guesses.

“Izumi, what’s wrong?!” She asks right in front of him, eyes locking into hers. His are shimmering under the loud OR lights, almost as if he’s about to cry.

“The… The… The patient’s dying… and… and… I…”

“Calm down and explain!”

“He’s about to flatline, Doctor! I… My mind’s blanking, I…!”

“Okay, give me the defib later down the line, I’ll see what I can do first.”

Without a word, he executes her order, putting the defibrillator on a tray and looking away while she walks back up to the patient.

“Do as I say, okay? We’ll save this patient, I promise!”

He nods in silence, gulping.

First of all, she needs to take care of the three large sutures on the patient’s chest. As usual, the tray is neatly organized: Izumi had been waiting for a surgeon before she burst into the OR without a warning. Now, all that’s left to do, thanks to his organisation, is to suture them shut. Then she can take care of the few glass shards shoved inside his skin. His vitals are dangerously low and show no sign of stabilizing anytime soon, so she should probably inject some stabilizer before proceeding…

The oddly familiar ear-piercing shriek of the heart monitor resonates in the room, prompting her to shift gears. She lets go of the syringe, quickly putting it back onto the tray, and picks up the defibrillator in her hands. This is going to be gruesome, and she quite doesn’t want to go through with it because of the possible side effect this could have; but she nonetheless glances at a now calmer Izumi.

“I’m going to need your help for this one, okay? Pay attention to the voltage!”

“On it!”

“Charging!”

She vigorously hits the patient’s chest with both part of the defib, firmly holding onto them as she does so. To her relief, the first shock is enough to get his heart going again, and hers by the same occasion.

“Okay, we can proceed now! Antibiotic gel, please!”

The small vial of it gets put into her hand almost as soon as she asks.

“Thank you. Get me a scalpel ready, please.”

In silence, they continue working their way to the heart, only for an even more disturbing sight to behold their eyes: not only has this man had glass shards shoved in his flesh, some of them have somehow gotten shoved in his _heart_.

“What is this?!” She still screams, almost letting go of her scalpel.

“This is bad… Doctor, it’s not that I don’t trust in your abilities, but…” Izumi’s voice trails off as she injects some more stabilizer into their patient. “I think we should wait for Dr Orikasa to come back. He should be back in a couple minutes.”

“Izumi, I’m afraid this man will die if we let any more time go by. I need to do something about it.”

“…fine, go for it. But, if anything is to go wrong, please interrupt the procedure until Dr Orikasa comes back.”

“I’ll do,” she tries smiling to him so he can sound reassured. “For now, let’s resume!”

Delicately, albeit not without fighting the trembling in her fingers, she removes each glass shard one by one with calculated forceps movements, putting every single one on the tray Izumi puts in front of her as soon as she’s finished removing one. Eventually, after a nerve-wrecking moment that can’t have been as long as she felt like it was, every glass shard as been removed, letting her heal the little cuts left behind with some gel. And then… a shriek.

“The patient is flatlining again, Doctor!”

“I can’t use the defib so close to the heart… I’ll have to massage it instead!”

Bracing herself yet again, Tsumugi takes the fragile heart in her hands, carefully pressing it at the rhythm of a heartbeat. The seconds turn into minutes yet again, since every single one of them matters in such procedures, and she can’t let her guard down until she’s done. Fortunately, the patient’s heart pulls through and starts beating again.

They’re about to let a sigh of relief when, out of nowhere, a hand-sized glass shard rises from the organ, leaving a cut its size behind. Here they go again, and it’s even worse than before. How can such a thing have been hiding in there all this time?! That doesn’t make any sense!

“Doctor, please stop the procedure here! We need to wait for Dr Orikasa to come back and handle it!”

“I told you before, Izumi! This is a matter of life or death here; we can’t let this patient down! There must be a way around it!”

If she focuses hard enough on it, she may find that solution she’s striving for. For the sake of this man and for the sake of medicine! _I won’t let you die, I won’t let you die…!_

And then, in the snap of a finger, a star flashes before her eyes and everything becomes clear.

Time has seemed to have slowed down almost to a halt, since she can barely hear Izumi’s odd-sounding voice. She removes the enormous glass shard, then sutures the cut shut, gently patching it with gel right after she’s done.

With that, it’s over, and the strange aura wrapping around her sense disappears as soon as she comes, as if it was nothing more than a mirage.

“His… The patient’s condition has stabilized,” Izumi says with surprise and astonishment lacing his words. “You… may close him now.”

She immediately does so, thoughts still occupied with what just happened. Oh well, she’ll have to think about it once she’s out of the OR: for now, taking care of the main suture is what matters, so she quickly disinfects and bandages it. With that, it’s a true success, and everyone’s lives are allowed to resume.

“Operation complete. Excellent work, Dr Takanashi,” he states again, not without sounding a little different than usual.

They exit the room, taking off scrubs and masks before making their way out. To her surprise, when she reunites with Izumi outside the changing rooms, he’s _smiling_ to her.

“I’m… not sure how you sutured the patient so rapidly,” he tells her, “but I stand corrected. You _are_ a surgeon in your own right, Dr Takanashi.”

“What do you mean, “this rapidly”?”

They stay silent for a moment.

“I… I may have imagined things. I figure we should both head for a nice night of rest.”

“You’re right, I think we both deserve a little break.”

“Goodnight, then, Doctor.”

Right when they’re about to split ways, him back to the lounge and her back to her office to retrieve her car keys, she glances at him.

“Ah, I almost forgot! Thank you for the nice words, Izumi. I know haven’t been a good surgeon in your eyes until now, but I hope we can work in a tandem from now on.”

“As I said, I stand correct on your account. I’ve judged a book by its cover, it’d seem.”

“If you say so, then you must be right. Have a good night, Izumi!”

“Goodnight again, Dr Takanashi.”

Her heart feels at peace, now, despite the nibbling, perplexing thought of what just happened with the star and the adrenaline that has just started fading, she knows she’ll get a night of peaceful sleep as a reward.


	11. Αpostate from Overseas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [INTERMISSION ALPHA]  
> There's a new sinner in town, and he's the one fixing your daughters and sons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, you thought Act I had actually ended? Well, not really. Welcome to the Intermissions.  
> Some people may remember I'd mention Yamato around a lot when discussing this fic pre-AO3 posting, and so may have wondered where this guy was for a solid 9 chapters. This is where he's gone: the Intermissions, chapters that will divide the Acts between themselves.  
> People who have played Second Opinion will recognize here the first "Z Episode", which are what these Intermissions will be based on. There are too many iconic operations in there for me to miss the opportunity to write about them. Z-3 in particular is one of the most memorable operations in the entire franchise... but I digress. This is Z-1.

St Francis Hospital may be one of the most American things the world has ever conceived: stained windows depicting scenes from a book he’s never bothered opening, cross-shaped surgical lights in the ORs, the obnoxious accent everyone has. Honestly, he wouldn’t be surprised if one of his workmates showed up one day with some takeout menu in his hands.

Is he being overdramatic about it? Maybe. Is he ecstatic to be here? Not really, if at all – but what can he do about it? It’s not like he hasn’t brought that upon himself. He needs to mend for his crimes and this is how he found his way to repent… while committing even more crimes, but that vicious cycle of thinking will have to wait. He’s got other stuff to deal with at the moment.

“Dr Nikaido,” a nurse, whose name he can’t remember for anyone’s sake, calls for him from the corridor. 

“Yes?”

“We just got a car crash victim and all of our on-call surgeons are busy! Can you fill in for us?”

“Sure thing. Lemme get ready and I’ll be all yours.”

Well, better get prepared then: hand washing, scrubbing, etc. It’s routine at this point, so he doesn’t even think twice about anything. He should probably be more careful than that, but what’s the point? It’s worked until now, there’s no reason it won’t work now.

As he makes his way to the operating room, he hears the usual voices of his workmates. It seems like they’ll never get tired of repeating how he ended up in St Francis as, somehow, their most qualified surgeon.

Yamato Nikaido, thirty-year-old bilingual immigrant. A genius surgeon hailing from Japan, where his license got stripped away from him due to accusation of witchcraft and other old-fashioned nonsense. Moved to the other side of the ocean to continue practicing surgery, got recruited into a privately funded hospital. Blew everyone’s expectations out of the water by last-minute saving a desperate burn victim. His abilities _do_ pay top dollar, he assumes.

Yeah, the story has been told a million times already in St Francis. He’s a little tired to hear it over and over again, if he was to be frank.

He has gotten used to the place and having to speak in another language fairly quickly, so he can quickly get to work. It’s no different than back in Japan anyway: put on your scrubs, disinfect your hands and forearms, use that time to scan through the file. He doesn’t have an assistant nor does he need one: it’s quicker to handle that on his own anyway, what would be the point of having someone else in the OR, aside from the guy or gal who makes the patient sleep properly? It’s a time loss for everyone involved.

Today’s patient is a (probably reckless) kid who fell off his motorbike after coming across a car and suddenly stopping. Road accident victims are what they get the most but, luckily, today is one of these casual cases where the life of the patient isn’t threatened. All he needs to do is to fix this guy’s right radius: there isn’t even a single glass shard present on the scene of the crime.

He’d blast some music in the OR if there wasn’t an anaesthetist in the room with him and curious people sometimes peeping into the OR through the monitoring station’s windows. As it stands, the room does feel somewhat lonely between the beeping of the machinery and the otherwise silent air, but the feeling won’t have the time to settle down (it never does): he’ll only be here for a couple minutes anyway, as always, and will most likely end up muttering to himself or humming a song to fill the void instead. Speaking of which, it’s time to start.

The ultrasound revealed the patient’s right arm was broken, so he starts operating by making his incision there. Opening everything up reveals a couple of bone fragments scattered in the man’s flesh, which he then gathers on a tray by using the forceps to pull them out. Then comes the reconstructing part: like it a jigsaw puzzle, put every piece back to its right spot. Unlike a jigsaw puzzle, however, he then smothers everything in antibiotic gel to fix everything in place.

However, a piece is clearly missing. No panic to be had here: he’ll just scan the area with the ultrasound machine and find it hidden somewhere. Wise decision: here it is, hidden under the ulna. With that, he can place it back where it should be and use some more gel to make the reparation permanent. He sutures the arm shut, then apply the bandage following the standard procedure. Here, all done, and he spent a grand total of fifteen minutes in there.

Put this way, it sounds like he’s ungrateful for the second chance he’s been given here. He isn’t, but he also can’t say being mostly given reckless brats falling off their bikes in the middle of traffic is the most exciting prospect someone can have in their day of work. At least, it pays, and it pays well: money hasn’t been an issue for a long time. Well, St Francis isn’t exactly his only employer, which may contribute; but the fact still stands. Here’s lucky, yet somewhat ungrateful.

His main complaint may be that he’s developed a sense of routine. As crude as it sounds, he’s just been used to having to operate in more dire situations, which causes routine procedures that make the bulk of his workdays to be monotone. A man needs to have a stimulus to enjoy himself, even on the workplace, you know? Still, if he’s to atone for his past sins, then he figures he’s better off having to only deal with things he can’t fuck up. It makes more sense that way, at least.

Oh well, he doesn’t have the time to ponder over things like a philosopher: he needs to take care of his rounds. He’ll make them quick and see if everybody has woken up from the anaesthesia. He wouldn’t want to be trialled for any accidental death, would he? He may have seen a little too much of that back on the other side of the ocean.

He may have indirectly caused some of it too, lately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To let people catch up on the story (and give me either some time to write more chapters or take a break from just writing this), INA will enter a week hiatus before Act II starts! Feel free to speculate about what the hell is gonna happen next to Soogs, her tsundere assistant and her mentor in the meantime!  
> Love, Fly.


	12. Uninterpreted Prodigy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT II: Gift from the Gods - Chapter 1]  
> Tsumugi procudes a miracle. _Again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Act II, everybody. This is the part where the TC mechanics really kick into place, so if you thought surgery wasn't funky enough, it's because everything really kickstarts now.   
> Today's chapter is merely an entrée to the mad full-course meal that is this story in terms of animeness, but I hope you'll like it anyway!  
> As with Act I, a new chapter will be posted every two days until the end of the Act.

There’s just something _weird_ about what happened during the last operation which she really can’t get over.

For a moment, it was like everything was going slowly. She could see what she needed to do immediately in a way that she couldn’t possibly fail at her objective, even if she tried. Maybe it was all in her mind, even if Izumi’s stupor when she closed the patient up makes her think otherwise. It must have just been some sort of beginner’s luck, or it was adrenaline dictating her how to do her job correctly.

Ever since, and even when she tries to give herself some rational answers in hopes to close the debate with herself down, it’s been difficult to think about anything else… Even telling Dr Orikasa about it didn’t help: he only took on a very serious, strict-looking face, and told her he may have had an idea about what could have happened back in the OR (but he still didn’t tell her in any capacity what his guess may have been). She still doesn’t know what this was about, only that everything about this situation is kind of weird.

“Dr Takanashi?”

The mention of her name snaps her out of her confusion. It seems like Izumi’s been trying to get her attention for a while.

“S-sorry! Let’s begin the pre-op conference!”

He stares at her for a little longer, tilting his head to the side with a doubtful expression plastered across his face. Ever since that operation, he’s been a little gentler with her, which is a welcome change. It seems like she’s earned his respect in some form.

“Please stay focused, these are important matters.”

“I’ll do!”

As always, he looks doubtful of her words. Well, she supposes you should be careful about a surgeon zoning out right before an operation… His reaction is very logical, if you put it that way. She _does_ need an assistant who can keep her grounded whenever her mind starts getting carried away in its own little world, it’d seem! He’d still better off be with Dr Orikasa, even if he seems to have gotten a newfound respect for her.

Soon enough, they all stare at the patient profile, establishing the procedure and its objectives. Izumi’s calm voice runs through it.

“The patient is a forty-three-old man with recurrent urinary issues. He’s been suffering from back pains, dizziness, and nausea. We have found out that, due to waste blockage, there are multiple thrombi that have accumulated in his spleen. Immediate removal of these thrombi is required to prevent further complication related to blood flow and waste evacuation. You’ll need to remove them, Doctor. To make them visible and easier to operate on, we’ve administrated a contrasting medium thirty minutes ago that will allow you to make the waste visible with the ultrasound.”

“I’ll exceptionally be observing from the monitoring station in case something goes awry. Best of lucks, Dr Takanashi.”

“Very well. Let’s start the operation.”

Repeating the same gestures as always, Tsumugi quickly grants herself access to the patient’s spleen, magnifying on the zone on the suggestion of her assistant.

“Even if we’ve used a substance to make the thrombi visible, they’re still hidden underneath. You’ll have to use the ultrasound to locate them.”

Sure enough, just as Izumi described and as soon as she goes through with his words, she can see pellet-shaped shadows going down the blood vessels of her patient.

“The procedure to deal with these is easy to follow once you remember every step in the right order. Pinch the thrombi with the forceps, then inside and drain them. You’ll have to repeat it until there’s no thrombus left. You also need to avoid them going down the vessel, as it’ll hurt the patient.”

“Roger!”

With the procedure laid down and agreed upon by the two of them, she truly gets to work. Ultrasound, forceps, scalpel, drain, gel. It should be simple enough. A little tedious, considering the huge number of thrombi flowing down the blood of the patient and how quickly she needs to get rid of them; but it’s nothing impossible to accomplish and it really is easy to follow now that she’s gotten the hang of it.

“The patient’s blood flow is improving very quickly. Keep it up, Doctor, the issue should be fixed soon.”

Wait, something’s wrong! They’re going faster and faster – much faster than she can handle! She barely has enough time to pinch them once she’s found them through the ultrasounds, even less to drain all of them! How is that?!

“The sudden improvement of the blood flow is causing the thrombi to go down the vessel much quicker now!” Izumi’s frantic cry makes her think he hadn’t seen it coming either. He also doesn’t seem to have a solution for the issue at hand, unlike what she’s grown accustomed to.

“I won’t… I won’t lose this patient, I promise!”

Right as she says that, trying to get her hands to work faster than sound and light, the strange feeling from a couple days ago resurfaces: a star shows up before her eyes, then her vision burns and time slows down, including the movements Izumi makes with his hands in front of her. She can’t hear anything except for her own heartbeat. It’s happening again, isn’t it? Better profit from the opportunity, then!

Now that she has time to stop them, she scans through the spleen one more time, then repeats the process for every pellet of waste she sees: forceps, scalpel, drain, gel. As soon as she’s done, the effect disappears, leaving her to just close up the patient. An astonished Izumi stares at her as she closes the patient. Even his voice sounds a little drained.

“E… Excellent work, Doctor…”

“Is there something wrong?” She asks as they leave the room.

“How did you… How did you do it so quickly? We were getting swarmed merely minutes ago!”

Izumi’s voice is shaky, his eyes wide open. It’s like he just saw a miracle happen right before his eyes and doesn’t know how to deal with that fact.

“Ah, huh… It’s difficult to describe, but it was like time slowed down for me for a few moments. I could see everything so clearly too! It was almost like I’d see everything in stop motion.”

“Well, I suppose that’d explain why I saw everything happen so fast, in a way… It’s nonetheless odd that you’d suddenly develop what can only be called a supernatural ability.”

“Maybe we just didn’t know about it until now? It happened when we operated on the car crash victim last week too!”

For a little bit, Izumi doesn’t say anything back. Instead, he covers the patient up and starts wheeling him out of the OR, following her.

“…I see,” is all he adds before the conversation ends.

As soon as they’re out of the room, they see a seemingly disturbed Dr Orikasa run up to them,. He doesn’t say anything, nor really moves. Instead, he stares at the patient being wheeled out of the room, only rising his head when they’re all about to pack and leave.

“…Izumi?”

The nurse turns his head, stopping the stretcher in its tracks.

“What can I do for you, Doctor?”

“Could you please give me the tapes of this operation?”

“I’ll do.”

“Thank you in advance.”

On that, they leave in a few different directions. As she walks to her office, Tsumugi realizes this only left uncertainties and a lack of answers up in the air, deepening the mystery even further. And all of this turns around one single question, seemingly simple and yet she can’t find an answer to it:

_How did this happen again, and why?_


	13. Divination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT II: Gift from the Gods - Chapter 2]  
> It's about time Tsumugi learns what the star she keeps seeing means.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I mentioned this fic was gonna be very anime due to TC's nature? Yep, it all starts here.

Just like she wouldn’t like being called to the headmaster’s office when she was still in school, Tsumugi doesn’t appreciate being called to Dr Ogami’s in the present day. It’s never good to be convoked by your superiors for a “conversation”. She could swear she’s corrected of all the mistakes Izumi has ever blamed her of doing… Well, maybe she’s overestimated how many of these she’s actually done right. Izumi tends to give her a lot of (justified) flack.

She knocks on the door and enters soon after, trying not to let her fear get to her.

“Ah, hello, Tsumugi!” He’s smiling to her, as he’s mostly done until this point in the time they’ve known each other. “Thank you for coming this quickly.

“Good morning, Doctor. Is there anything you need me for?”

“Well, I do need to discuss something out with you. Do you have a couple minutes before you?”

“Of course.”

He drops the smile as soon as the true conversation starts, putting on an up-most serious face.

“I’ve reviewed the footage of your operation from yesterday. It’d seem like you possess a rare ability named the Healing Touch.”

“The Healing Touch?”

She’s never heard about such a thing before, not even in the weirdest of her classes in med school. It’d seem to be as obscure as it’s rare, then.

“It’s an ability which grant a very select number of surgeons to execute procedures very quickly by focusing intensely on their operation. In turn, the surgeon feels like they see the world in a slowed-down speed. It’s said to be possessed by the descendants of the Greek god of medicine, Asclepius.”

It matches everything about her weird episodes so far.

“Then, do you think I possess this Healing Touch?”

“I absolutely believe you do. That said…”

Banri’s face darkens even further, resting on intertwined hands.

“I’m going to ask you to do something about it, if you may.”

“What do you need me to do, then?”

“I need you never to use it again, and especially not consciously, Tsumugi.”

“What?!” His words truly shock her, slipping directly under her skin.

“If I hadn’t somehow activated it during yesterday’s procedure, we could have lost the patient!”

“Nothing tells us this is what saved him. Moreover, there is a lot more to the Healing Touch than just this. Once you have it, it means you can’t have a patient failing on you, as you’ll have no excuse. Are you ready for the weight of the responsibilities that come with such a power? Are you prepared for the pain that will come your way, Tsumugi?”

The solemn and serious tone of her saviour’s words makes her waver in her convictions. If he’s expressing himself in such dark manners, then it must be serious: he isn’t doing this to tease her in any shape or form. This is dead serious, and she doesn’t even have an idea as to why that is. That may be the worst part about this conversation, in a way.

“So… What you’re saying is that it’ll be detrimental to me if I use my Healing Touch, despite it possibly helping saving lives that’d otherwise be lost?”

“Yes. This is the best course of action for you. You don’t want to end up…”

He interrupts himself before she can hear the second part of his reply. It seems like he never finished his sentence.

“I’m a doctor, sir. If I need to use it, then I will, no matter the cost. My mission… is to save people. That’s why I became a surgeon. I’ll save people on matter the cost, Dr Ogami!”

“Well then, I can’t stop you. Just know there will be consequences to your choice. I wish you luck in your endeavours. You’re defending a just cause.”

“I will. Thank you for your solicitude, sir.”

She bows down then, upon being prompted to, takes her leave.

Tsumugi obviously doesn’t leave the room with any peace of mind, almost shoving herself into a workmate as she walks to her office. She needs to think this through, to process the news and take an actual decision. She thought everything she just told Banri about, of course, but there’s also this part of her who will absolutely worry over the tone and words he used to tell her she may possess some supernatural surgeon abilities. He should have been glad for her, right? Well, all things considered, Dr Orikasa seemed more anxious than anything when he asked Izumi for the recordings of yesterday’s procedure. She should have sensed something would be fishy about this entire “I feel time slowing down when I’m in a surgical crisis” thing which keeps happening.

Still, that doesn’t mean she wants to give up on it altogether! If she may have been able to save the thrombi situation with a lot of determination and mental exhaustion following suit, she absolutely saved their recent car crash victim only thanks to the Healing Touch activating in time to remove the last glass shard. What if this sort of situation were to happen again?

Well, first, she needs to know if she actually possesses it, or if it was just a flunk. Moreover, if Banri looked this anxious, it may have been because she doesn’t master it: in fact, all she showed herself to be was ignorant about the Touch. Maybe that, if she can control it, then he’ll be more at peace of mind and she’ll be able to escape from the torment he seems to have seen in his crystal ball for her future.

Izumi has told her multiple times before that she needed to sort her priorities straight and now is the ideal occasion to put that into work. Too bad she also won’t tell him about it: this is something she needs to sort out by herself with herself, isn’t it? She may also be a little afraid that she’s going to mess up if his weighing gaze is focused on her while she tries to focus enough to trigger the weird feeling again. Now, to find a hole in his schedule… This shouldn’t be too difficult. He loves to hang both of their weekly timetables on the billboard in her office.

Come to think of it, and right as she observes it meticulously, she’s realizing something: this office wouldn’t have looked this pristine, this lively if it weren’t for Izumi’s addition and suggestions about it. As harsh as he may be, he’s just like Banri: they’re both trying to make her a better surgeon and give her a better future.

And, for that, and because she’s so thankful for it, she needs to thank them by mastering the Healing Touch and lifting the concern they have for her and her patients off their shoulders, as much as she wants to apologize to Izumi by advance for hiding this from him in advance…


	14. Channelling a Pythia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT II: Gift from the Gods - Chapter 3]  
> Tsumugi tries to replicate the star in a laboratory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Press C and Z while drawing a star on screen. It probably won't look like a star, but it'll also probably work and, in the end of the day, it's what matters.  
> Jokes aside, 2-3 is the easiest level in the game, which obviously makes it my second favorite level after a much, much later one. (TC readers know the one I'm referring to). It's a tutorial level for sure, but man is it fun to draw stars. It made it a little weird to write about, however.  
> Next chapter is going to be a very important one, so you don't want to miss it!

In the empty hours of the late shift, Tsumugi sneaks out of the on-call room and makes her weasel way to an unoccupied OR. Before doing so, she made sure Izumi was fast asleep. She’s actually surprised she managed to find a way out of the room without waking him up, considering he’s a light sleeper, as she discovered against her will not too long ago.

However, to fight against the guilt pinching her heart about what she’s about to do, she decided of one thing: if he finds her, or if he asks about where she was if he wakes up before she comes back, she’ll come clean to him about it. He’s witnessed the Healing Touch twice with her, so it’s not like he doesn’t at least know a little about it. She’ll have to explain him one day, but before that, she should first make sure she actually has these fabled magical powers, then tell him. Otherwise, knowing how sceptical he is of such ludicrous claims, he’s just going to brush that explanation off. (To be fair, if she was in his place, she’d have too).

The hospital’s corridors are less serene than they are eerie at such an hour, filled with the muffled mechanical sounds of medical machinery and the squeaking noise of her shoes against the suddenly overly sensible linoleum floor. As such, almost in fear that some sort of freaky monster is going to sneak up on her and attack her at her most vulnerable, she almost runs to the first empty OR she can find.

She launches one of the simulations she used to do work on during her residency, eventually settling on the heart after some hesitation. It makes the most sense to go with the heart: the first time she saw the star flash in front of her eyes, she was operating on one, wasn’t she? It’ll surely make feeling this exact sensation easier.

“Okay… Think back to what happened back there… Put yourself back into the conditions in which it happened…”

She squints, picturing the procedure again: glass shards, flatlining patient, vitals dangerously close to plummeting to the ground. She needs to quickly find a way to remove the hand-sized shard and close the wound right afterwards.

“I… saw a star. Picture a star, focus on a star, on a five-pointed star…”

With her fingers, she trace a figure in the air, drawing a sloppy star before her eyes out of nothing. As soon as she finishes, her vision blurs slightly, only to come back shortly thereafter clearer and sharper, slower too.

“That feels familiar… I’m on something, I need to keep it on!”

And again, and again, she traces a star, with her hands, with her tools. The feeling grows stronger and stronger with each imaginary streak she draws, time slowing down even further. Drawbacks are, however, starting to appear…

“My eyes are burning… but I’m too close to go back! One more time!”

No finger, this time: it’s all in her mind. She won’t have the luxury to draw it right in front of her assistant anyway, she better get used to that method as soon as possible.

As quickly as you’d snap your fingers, the atmosphere grows odd, yet familiar: if she glances at her stopwatch, it’s come to a crawl. Her vision is clearer than it’s ever been. Her hands feel like they can do anything and save anyone from the brink of death.

“This is it!” She proudly exclaims to an audience composed of exclusively herself. “I have the Healing Touch!”

Banri was right: she has this elusive talent flowing in her veins and possessing her senses when she needs it. If she can trigger it on command, then she’ll be able to do so much with it! She won’t feel helpless and frustrated in front of her own powerlessness ever again, not anymore!

However, and even if she was merely moments ago ecstatic to discover it wasn’t a fluke, as soon as the effect fades away for good, she gets something to add as she holds her head in one of her hands, putting down any tool she could have been holding until now.

“My… head hurts…” She mutters under her breath. “I may have overdone it. I think I’ll leave it at this for tonight, go take a nap or something…”

Tsumugi then stumbles out of the OR, trying to stabilize her legs and balance long enough for her to find her way back to the on-call room. If her assistant hasn’t found her yet, then she’ll at least have the excuse of having been in her office, as she locked the door before heading for the place she’s supposed to rest in.

She believes she can see Izumi’s piercing glare staring right at her through the shadows of the deserted night corridors of the hospital, but when she spins, her head goes for a rotation and she doesn’t see anyone whatsoever, although she does almost tumble by tripping on her feet. It’s clearer than ever, she _really_ needs to get back to resting as soon as possible…

At least, she gets a sigh of relief when she comes back and sees Izumi is still fast asleep on the sofa while, as usual, she gets the bed. Maybe they should switch places one of these days, she’s starting to feel like this is deeply unfair towards him to always get the uncomfortable spot. Sure, she’s the one operating among the two of them, but it won’t kill her to switch places once or twice a week, will it? He deserves to rest just as well as she does. There’s no denial to be had here.

It’s also not the time to wake him up and tell him such a thing, so she just heads for the bed and slips inside of it after taking off her indoor shoes. If they’re lucky, she’ll be able to sleep off her headache too…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thinking back on it, it could've been a butterfly; but the star imagery is too iconic to replace it with the butterfly from the UTK2 run at AGDQ 2019. uwu.


	15. The Deified Surgeon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT II: Gift from the Gods - Chapter 4]  
> What if you could make the random, your obedient servant?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you think about, a voluntary Healing Touch use is like manipulating RNG.  
> Shorter chapter than I remembered it to be, but I also didn't get the luxury to make it better today :pensive:  
> Blame it on family reunions I forgot to take in account for and my own stupid ass, woops.

Banri’s words and her recent experiment make her think about a lot of things at once, bouncing off each other and filling her mind with very little space left for quite literally anything else left. Is she really meant not to use the Healing Touch for her own sake? Isn’t it so selfish of hers?

“Doctor, are you with us?” Izumi’s voice calls for her in such a manner for the second time in the same week. There’s a pattern to be seen here, isn’t it?

“H-huh?!” She snaps back to reality as quickly as possible. “Y-yes!”

“We’re about to start the pre-operation conference. Please stop zoning out like this, it’ll detrimental to the procedure.”

“Of course. Let’s get it going, then.”

Tsumugi finds herself surrounded by her assistant and mentor on both of her sides as they establish their modus operandi.

“The patient is a forty-five-year-old man who has complained about intestinal pains for a little while. We suspect these could be due to the presence of aneurysms on the intestines.” Izumi calmly reads over the profile, steady hands holding the folder. “We’ll need to remove these using the standard procedure and make sure none of them rupture before they can be taken care of.”

“There shouldn’t be any complication aside from this risk of rupture,” Dr Orikasa adds. “Are we all good to go?”

“I believe we are, so let’s not lose any more time and start the operation!”

Following the same steps as always, she opens the patient’s lower abdomen. Sure enough, as soon as she arrives there, she can see a blood vessel bulging at the surface. Izumi doesn’t have the time to tell her to use the magnification tool before she takes a hold of it and gives them a much better view.

She operates while following along to his instructions: she first injects some sedative into the aneurysm itself, then carefully excises it, pulls it out and puts it on the tray handed to her. Once that’s done, she reconnects the ruptured vessel by pulling the two ends together with the forceps, then suturing it back shut.

“Well, it’d seem like this operation is over,” she says, almost by accident, as she decreases the scale on the magnifier.

“No, Doctor, there are new aneurysms there! You need to treat those too!”

“Ah, snap… Let’s take care of them immediately, then! Syringe and sedative please!”

“Here!”

Treating two aneurysms at once is a bit harder than treating just one. Her syringe can’t contain enough liquid to sedate both of them, so she needs to work fast there. Once she’s sure she can excise them, a second issue arises: if she doesn’t do so in a timely manner, the sedative will fade out, and she’ll have to do it all over again. Of course, and as always, she’s lucky Izumi is such an efficient nurse who will always have the tools she requests ready for her very quickly, and she feels at peace knowing Dr Orikasa can intervene if something really is to go wrong. If they can avoid such an eventuality, she’d be glad to…

Relief washes over her when she puts the second aneurysm on the trail and reconnects both vessels together. She exchanges a glance with her assistant, both smiling a little, before her fingers go to set the magnifier back to its normal state. And, just as she does so and just as Izumi is about to declare the procedure complete… four new aneurysms pop out of nowhere.

“Goddammit, how do they keep spawning like that?!” He yells out.

“Takanashi,” Dr Orikasa rises his voice too, “take care of them, quick!”

“Will do!”

Immediately, she sets the magnifier on the right zone, then picks up her syringe and vial yet again. Still, they’re quickly growing to a state where they risk rupturing if she doesn’t quickly excise them one way or the other… She may run out of time and let one, maybe even multiple, of them burst… and she can’t let that happen!

A star appears before her eyes and her vision starts burning moments after. The blood vessels suddenly worsen much more slowly, but she’s got no time to chew the scenery: she quickly follows the procedure, step by step, for each of the four aneurysms. This way, there’ll be no damage done to the patient and he’ll be able to move on with his life…

She closes up the patient right before her power fades out, allowing Izumi to resume what he was saying without having his voice distorted by the effects of her abilities.

Relief can be felt in the operating room as another nurse comes in and wheels the patient out. In fact, it’s flooding inside of her system so quickly that she’s feeling lightheaded from the sudden shift between the state of intense stress she was in merely moments ago and her now relaxed one.

“This was an excellent job, Dr Takanashi. Just remember not to rely too heavily on your Healing Touch, as you should be honing your basic skills first.”

Dr Orikasa seems so far away… which is odd, considering the OR isn’t that big, is it?

“Tsumugi? Are you listening?”

Why is her vision so dark? Why can’t she keep her eyes open for more than a second? And why does it feel like the both of them are so, so far away all of a sudden? It’s like she can’t stand up anymore… And she feels so tired, maybe she can take a little nap before her next surgery… Izumi wouldn’t want her operating in such a shabby state anyway…

Wait, this isn’t the time nor place to fall asleep, you dummy!


	16. Consulting the Auspices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT II: Gift from the Gods - Chapter 5]  
> Yuki finds a somewhat rotten surprise in his student's room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, writing a POV that isn't Tsumugi's when it's not even Intermission Time? It's more likely than you think.  
> TC players will notice this is an additional chapter again compared to the game structure I've religiously followed up until that point. What can I say? Ya boi just loves to experiment with new ways to convey a story. I'm sure y'all won't mind a bit of change, of a fresher flavour.  
> It was a blast to write too, so I hope you'll like it as much as I loved writing it!

The mechanical drip of the IV gives the room an impression of artificial serenity. He may be looking this too deeply (actually, he’s _certain_ he is, he’s always looked too deeply into things), but it feels like being in a comatose patient’s room minutes before they’ll have to unplug their last link to life. Well, if you can call being stuck in a permanent sleep “living”, but that’s another question for another day. Now is not the time for bioethical conversations about euthanasia.

How long has he been here? He doesn’t really know anymore. His articulations may have rusted a little ever since he’s stopped by and, in the end, never left. He was originally here to check up on a not-so-ordinary patient, but ended up feeling like he was meant to stay here between his shifts. Why, he doesn’t quite know exactly… A sense of duty? Of loyalty? It’s been a couple months already, after all…

He used to have nothing but disdain for her, at first. She was messy and clumsy, too familiar, perhaps too colourful. Oh, she absolutely was cute, borderline adorable, and her smile could have made rocks melt; but the truth was that she was a terrible surgeon and that, as her assisting nurse, he could only see her as that terrible surgeon who was way too friendly with a subordinate. In retrospect, perhaps he was the one who was too stiff about it: this small hospital privileges mutual respect and a sense of equality over hierarchy. It makes for a nice change of pace.

But now, where has all that disdain gone? She saved a patient from the brink of death the same day she almost caused another to die due to her own inadvertence (and his panic and lack of foresight, he’ll absolutely admit to it and never forget about his part of responsibility in that almost-deadly disaster of a procedure), then displayed downright magical abilities three times before collapsing and not stir for more than a day. Too bad it’s taken her being comatose to realize he respects her more than he respects himself: unlike her, he’s never made up for the disastrous operation. That’s frustrating, almost as much as staring at her form stuck in a fairy-tale-like slumber.

The gentle voice of Dr Orikasa comes to his ears.

“You should go home and sleep, Izumi. Your shift ended hours ago.”

Ah, indeed, if he’s here, then that means his shift has ended quite some time before now…

“I don’t feel tired. Plus, there needs to be someone by Dr Takanashi’s bed when she’ll eventually wake up. She’ll feel lost if there’s nobody to tell her what has been happening while she was unconscious.”

“I doubt she’ll be as confused as you think she’ll be, but I understand your feelings. Still, this doesn’t mean you should waste your resting time. To quote your predecessor: you need to get at least six hours of sleep a day. It doesn’t only apply to surgeons; I’d let you know.”

As if on cue and preventing him from replying, he has trouble retaining a yawn inside his jaw. How _unprofessional_ , how _indecent_ of him. Maybe going home to the echoing loneliness of his flat isn’t such a bad idea, after all.

“I mean it, Izumi. You haven’t gone back home since she lost consciousness and that was over a day ago. She’ll be fine even in your sleep, I promise.”

As much as he’d like to bite back with something witty, orders are orders. He can’t disobey the second-in-command of the hospital, can he? It’s also not like his brain can keep up enough with the hazy situation to find event a decent thing to reply with, it’d probably just end up making no sense.

“Understood, Doctor. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Izumi, you have tomorrow off.”

He rises from the chair a bit too quickly, tumbles on his own feet and almost falls backward, only for Dr Orikasa’s arms to catch him before he can actually lose all of his balance and crash to the floor.

“Please go take some rest, you’re in dire need for one. You can take the bed in Tsu… Dr Takanashi’s office. You should be at peace there.”

“I can go back home on my own. Plus, I’d need her keys.”

“You mean, these?” The doctor plays around with a couple keys attached to a ring before putting them in his palm. How did he not foresee the head surgeon having a double of the key of every door of the hospital?

He accepts them in silence, wordlessly resigning himself to following the suggestion.

“Thank you. Have a goodnight, Dr Orikasa.”

“Goodnight to you too,” his superior replies with a smile.

On this, he leaves the room without adding a single thing, busy trying to maintain his balance as not to plunge to the ground like his body seems to be in a dire want to.

Dr Orikasa may have been making fun of him when he told him “goodnight,” because he’s realizing something: it’s day out. The corridors are filled with some of his colleagues running around, sometimes stopping by to wish him a good morning, others to ask him if Dr Takanashi has woken up or if she’s just doing better (before usually asking him if _he_ ’s also fine, which means he must look like he’s just trailed through a layer of Hell and came back just in time for a shift that doesn’t exist).

Every noise of the corridor is out to get him. They all rattle against his skull like a madman’s bell who’d be kept swung all night long (which, to be fair, isn’t too far off from what he actually did for the night). It’s as if his temples were getting rubbed with sandpaper from the inside. Has he forgotten the symptoms of sleep deprivation until now?

Ah, he almost missed the office he was heading for in the first place. Curse the clouded state of his brain.

His hand is clumsy, trembling and downright imprecise as he tries to slip the key inside the lock. He hesitates on which direction to turn it in, then almost crashes into the door instead of just opening it due to the poor state of his balance, barely able to close the door in any better way. Curse the clouds, curse the haze… and curse his own terrible priorities in life and thought process.

He immediately goes to sit on the bed once he attempted locking the door behind him (and almost failed, but that’s besides the point he’s trying to make). His flawed thought process kicks in again, this time prompting him to look around the place as if he was discovering it for the first time. He’s got to admit, Takanashi been listening to him: her desk is a bit more organized with papers covering it less and less. It’s a peaceful place to be in, calmer than the rest of the hospital.

In a way, he may feel safer here than when he’s home. He does live alone in a narrow, badly isolated one-room apartment. Here, he can’t hear his neighbours arguing, those profiting from a privileged private time he really doesn’t want to remember any detail about, or the child on the floor below who just won’t stop crying. Here, it’s peaceful and all he can hear are the muffled sounds of the rest of this floor and his own breathing. It’s calm, so calm, so unlike all of the anxiety he usually keeps as background noise…

It can’t just be it, however. Even at night, he’s never noticed it until now, never felt this at peace. Perhaps it’s because he knows nobody will come in and disturb him. After all, the only person who’d come in here who doesn’t know he’s got assigned to her office is Dr Takanashi herself and, well… She’s in safe hands. Just this once, he can let go of what he can barely register as worry.

He now only has to hope she won’t mind if he uses her bed for today.


	17. The Sacrifice to Make

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT II: Gift from the Gods - Chapter 6]  
> It's been three days, Dr Takanashi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excessive consumption of the Healing Touch is bad for your general health. Please visit www.nohealytouchyinmyvicinity.com for more information.  
> Jokes aside, 2-5 may as well be one of those episodes in the game whose existence you kinda forget. It's just... there for the plot that, let's be real here, most contemporary TC players aren't here for (as in: speedrunners). It's less forgettable than 4-3 or 5-1, but it doesn't make it much better than these (tho 5-1 is *really* forgettable, geez. You'll see when we get there).  
> Ironically, that was what made it so fun to write for INA. I could take a lot of liberty and it wouldn't break the entire plot apart, so that was pretty gucci, if you ask me.

_There is a lot more to the Healing Touch than just this. Once you have it, it means you can’t have a patient failing on you, as you’ll have no excuse._

What does this mean? She isn’t quite sure of an answer to her own question here. Surely Banri told her about this for a good reason, he’d never exaggerate something to her, especially if it was in such a fearmongering manner. Banri has always been kind, gentle and patient with her, she trusts him more than she’d trust herself: what is it about the Healing Touch that scares him so much for her sake? What has he been hiding from her, what has he not fully explained?

_Are you ready for the weight of the responsibilities that come with such a power?_

Good question… She doesn’t have a precise answer to give at the moment to that one either. What are these responsibilities? If she knew them, perhaps she could phrase an actual response and get an idea of how difficult this will be. However, what she does know is that she will give all of her might to making sure she handles these responsibilities properly. It comes with her mission as a surgeon, as someone people trust with their own life: she has to be up to the task, no matter the cost.

_Are you prepared for the pain that will come your way, Tsumugi?_

Well, maybe she isn’t, maybe she is: to be honest, she’s not certain at all. This pain is surely to come, if she’s so confused as to what Banri could have been referring to. Still, she does suppose she needs to be prepared: she needs to save people no matter the cost, even if said cost is misfortune and suffering. She’s here to save lives and nothing else.

_And who is it that I need not to become like…?_

When her eyes open, Tsumugi quickly realizes something: she’s facing a ceiling where it’d seem easy for artificial lights to burn themselves into her retinae. Looking around, this seems to confirm her initial fear, the one the smell of disinfectants gave her: she’s at Kibou, somehow, in a patient’s room, lying on a bed. Come to think of it, she doesn’t remember going home… but this isn’t the on-call room either. Huh, how peculiar.

When she attempts stretching her arms out like every morning, she notices an IV drain going under her skin. Well, she clearly doesn’t remember also being hospitalized, far from it. When did the tables turn? Surely she’d remember something like that happening to her…

“Ah, you’re finally awake. Good morning, Dr Takanashi.”

Her gaze immediately locks onto another: Dr Orikasa’s. It really must be Kibou, then, no doubt to be had there anymore…

“Why am I here?”

“After your last operation, you just… collapsed. You’ve been comatose for three days.”

She suddenly bolts up, an electroshock coursing through her body and casting her out of her lethargy in a single shot.

“Three _days_?! What about my patients?!”

“The rest of the staff took care of them, all of these operations have gone well. As you can see right beside you, this may have tired some people more than others…”

Her glance follows her mentor’s, eventually going down to the bedsheets’ level. She doesn’t quite expect to see Izumi being fast asleep, arms crossed over the mattress and under his head, still dressed in his uniform. Despite how uncomfortable the pose he’s in must be, he looks oddly peaceful, quite unlike his usual stern and strict expressions. The lab coat put over his shoulders must belong to Dr Orikasa, who is now softly smiling.

“What… What is Izumi doing here?”

“Your devoted assistant insisted to stay by your side outside his shifts and, despite our best efforts to make him go home and actually rest, he’d just come back to this one chair and occasionally doze off there.”

Without thinking much of it, her hand lands on her assistant’s head, smiling a little herself. She was _certain_ he hated her, but she stands completely corrected on that. Poor Izumi has been her bedside vigil all this time…

Dr Orikasa resumes the conversation as his smile fades away.

“Come to think of it, it’s a good thing he’s currently asleep, since I must discuss some things out with you that I’d like Izumi not to hear; or, at least, not for now. Knowing him, he’ll know eventually.”

“What would this be, then?”

“You must never use your Healing Touch like that _ever again_ , Tsumugi.”

“Why? I… I saved this man’s life thanks to it! It wouldn’t have been possibly otherwise!”

“Well… It did go smoothly thanks to it, and it’d have surely been much worse otherwise. Still, this does not mean we couldn’t have saved the patient. Moreover, considering the side effects of using it, as in having you lose consciousness for three days, I can’t have you collapse in the middle of a procedure. It’s both too risky and too detrimental to you, I’m afraid.”

“Even if I use it in little amounts? Who knows, this could come in handy, right?”

Her mentor puts a hand on his chin, his expression turning pensive.

“I suppose you’re right there. You’ll, however, have to constantly make sure you don’t overuse it or exert yourself, even if it’s for the right cause. I insist, this is primordial. You were in a coma, Tsumugi.”

“I’ll be careful, Yuki. I promise.”

“I’ll hold you to your word, then.”

To her relief, Dr Orikasa soon finds his usual demeanour back, wearing a smirk.

“Do you feel rested enough or do you need some more time? Your shift only starts in a couple hours.”

In silence, she looks at Izumi, her hand on his shoulder. If he hasn’t been woken up by their conversation – with a special mention to her tendency to squeal when she’s shocked or surprised –, then she can only assume he needs more than his beauty sleep.

“I’m going to wait for my vigil to wake up, if that’s no bother. I need to repay him in good.”

“Just make sure to stretch out, then. Be mindful of your IV before you do.”

“Got it!”

She watches her mentor leave the room before glancing back at the sleeping Izumi. It must have been a very weird half of a week that she’ll never get to see, but she’ll make sure to ask him about it once he’s back awake. That is, of course, if he’s rested enough.

Perhaps she should tell him about the Healing Touch too, once that conversation comes around…


	18. Bad Omen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT II: Gift from the Gods - Chapter 7]  
> Somehow, this has to be the strangest patient Tsumugi has had yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, it's a new character! It's been way too long since the last introduction!  
> also idk, strange shit's happenin' 'round here.  
> (aka: the beginning of the Animeing)

“The patient is a twenty-six-year-old man who has complained from severe chest pains before starting to spit up blood, then suddenly collapsing!” Dr Orikasa yells as he struggles running and holding the patient’s profile at the same time. “What is his condition, Izumi?!”

The nurse wheeling the patient to the OR as quickly as possible barely lifts his head

“Vitals are at 60, CS is 300! He’s in shock and losing blood fast!”

“Takanashi, you’re operating! Izumi, assist her! I’ll be by standby in case something turns awry! If we don’t operate immediately, we’ll lose him, so make it quick!”

“On it!”

There’s no time for a real pre-operation conference, so they immediately put on their scrubs and enter the room. Tsumugi almost trips over her own shoe, but catches her balance right in time thanks to a helping wall right next to her.

“Doctor, we’ll need to be fast”, Izumi explains, still breathless from their sprint through the corridors of Kibou (not that she’s better on that front, she feels like her mask is smothering her). “The patient’s main symptom are chest pains and haemoptysis.”

“We’ll perform a thoracotomy, then. Gel and scalpel please!”

At least, and that’s a positive, her habits allow her to quickly make her incision and… get greeted by a gruesome spectacle.

“How in the…” Izumi bites back on what must be cussing. “How did that happen?!” 

“This should be impossible,” Dr Orikasa adds, voice as disturbed as Izumi’s, “the patient shows no external sign of an injury!”

Tsumugi’s heart skips a beat as she quickly scans the area: there are two large gaping gashes in the patient’s right lung from which blood pours out at an alarming fast rate and three smaller ones she’ll just have to stich shut. There’s no better word to define this than _horrifying_ … Well, aside from _shouldn’t even be possible_.

“Treat the large wounds first, as they’re the ones causing the most damage to the patient’s vitals. Use some stabilizer if you think they’re getting too low. Speaking of which, Izumi, please keep an eye on them.”

“Roger.”

“Drain please!”

Following her mentor’s words, Tsumugi immediately gets to work, not giving herself any more time to think of how nonsensical this is (she’ll leave that to Dr Orikasa, who has more experience than she does anyway). She pumps out the blood from the gashes, before realizing they’re too large to suture shut safely. There’s an easy to fix to this, and that’s the forceps: with it, she pinches both sides against each other before suturing the first gash, then the second. It takes less time if she only asks Izumi for one tool at a time and takes care of most of what she can with it before switching.

She lets out a little sigh of relief before injecting some stabilizer into the patient’s system. With a couple of precise wrist movements, trying to balance speed and precision as her mentor has always told her, she sutures the three smaller wounds with more needle and thread. _It’ll be fine_ , she promises in silence to a patient who can’t possibly be able to hear her at the moment. _It’ll all be fine. You’ll be all good soon._

“Excellent work, Dr Takanashi,” Dr Orikasa also sighs as he stares at the monitor displaying the vitals. “You may close the patient now.”

The three of them remain tense even as she does her last stitch and puts the final cloth over it.

“Despite the circumstances, and how bizarre this procedure was, you managed to save him. If we had been a minute too late, we may have lost him. Thank you.”

Her head spins a lit from the sudden switch from anxiety to overwhelming relief, so her words don’t carry themselves too well.

“I’m just… _relieved_ he’s going to live…”

They all exit the room, wheeling the patient out to bring him to his new staying room. On the way, neither of the three speak up, as if they all got stunned by what they just witnessed despite their success.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Izumi states as he stares as patient’s slightly visible red hair.

“We’re on the same page, then. If his lungs were in such a state, there should have been an external sign of these injuries…”

“I guess we’ll only find out when the patient will have woken up,” Tsumugi adds, glancing at the man she just saved.

“Absolutely. Takanashi, Izumi, I’ll see you around. For now, focus on what you need to care of.”

“Of course.”

The two of them are soon back in her office, facing each other on either side of the desk. She’s troubled, unable to focus on her paperwork. Instead, all she does is twirl her pen between her fingers and stared at the empty cases she needs to fill. It’s making the already unfun now impossible to complete.

This shouldn’t have been possible. There is no logical explanation to it, absolutely none: how does one gets such deep wounds without them showing outside? It must be the work or something internal, but then, what organism, what _creature,_ could have done such a thing without getting noticed? It’s not like they spotted anything weird otherwise during the operation, not even a trace of a claw or a blade.

This really is straight out of a sci-fi movie.

In the end, realizing this is getting her nowhere, she rises her head.

“Izumi, do you have any idea as to what really happened to this person?”

He rises his head from some of the paperwork he’s asked her to handle for her. She’s made sure he only gets the easiest things. Not because she doesn’t trust him –far from it—, but because it’s still supposed to be _her_ responsibilities, not his.

“To be honest, I’m as confused as you are. It’s impossible to give a rational reason that wouldn’t involve some ludicrous claim about a new, currently undiscovered type of organism or, and it’s only slightly more plausible, of brand new nanoscopic weapons. Still, even if these existed and you could craft such blades and program them to slash into the patient’s organs, why do that to some nurse from some ordinary hospital? Do we then need to assume the patient was some sort of cover agent? It sounds even more ridiculous.”

“So you’re really not more advanced than I am…”

“Nobody is, Doctor. This is a scientific enigma.”

“I guess only time really will tell…”

They fall back into silence, focusing as much as possible back on their paperwork.


	19. Paging Thanatos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT II: Gift of the Gods - Chapter 8]  
> Tsumugi has quite the tense conversation with her newest patient.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so canon 2-7 can kiss my ass. It really can. For the purpose of keeping my virgin non-TC readers' eyes clean from what had to be the worst TC episode in the history of TC, I won't go into details as to why. You can ask your friendly neighbour TC fan for why 2-7 is so bad and why this chapter has very little to do with canon's.  
> In other words, it's time to *really* introduce a new character to this! They're not an OC, don't worry, this isn't another Kimidori situation - merely a canon character I'm pretty sure some of you were looking forward to without really knowing. It's about time I introduce someone new too lmao, the last one was... well, it was Iori. Let's just say it's really been a while.

The first thing Tsumugi does on her next shift is to head to the patient with the chest lacerations she operated on yesterday. She just got told he woke up for the day. With her is Izumi whom the question seems to have pestered enough for him to show signs of not having slept very well (it’s his bangs, they’re just not as combed as usual…). He’s probably going to stay right behind her shoulder, as always. Put that way, he’s almost like her bodyguard.

She quickly glances at the patient’s name written on the plate on the door before entering so she doesn’t mess up: Nanase Riku, 26. He’s a nurse at a nearby hospital but had to take an illness leave soon before someone called an ambulance on him. She’s also been told he is of a weaker constitution and suffers from a chronic respiratory condition that impacts how much physical effort he can make. It must be tough being a nurse with such an illness…

She knocks on the door, then enters the room once she gets an answer. Izumi closes the door behind her as she goes to the patient’s bed, taking on his appearance. Nanase looks as happy as she’d have expected coming from someone who just came here with severe injuries that almost ended his life here and there: depressed. Come to think of it, it’s even a miracle she didn’t have to use the Healing Touch on them. Both his hair and the eyes avoiding looking into hers are of a vivid red, not unlike a poppy. She’s seen medical staff happier than him, that’s for sure…

“Good morning, Mr Nanase. I’m Dr Takanashi, the surgeon who operated on you, and this Izumi, my assistant nurse. I hope you’re doing fine and that you’ll appreciate our hospital as much as possible.”

They both bow to him, but they barely get any response.

“…good morning, Doctor.”

If worry was already nibbling at her heart, it’s now biting into it with ferocious fangs.

“Is there something wrong, sir?” She asks tying her hands together in front of her hips.

“Why did you save me?”

The question is odd and confuses her greatly. She’s never even thought about why she saved people or, at least, she hasn’t for a while. The oddest about this, however, is the fact someone else working in the medical field is asking that. He should know the answer to his own question, shouldn’t he?

“Because it’s my mission! I’d have felt terrible if someone as young as you died on my hands. You have so much in front of you to live, it’d have been a shame if it’d have ended this soon.”

“When I passed out, I felt like my chest was on fire. I knew my time had come and I was okay with it. Why did you save me? Was there even a point in doing that?”

This sends her blinking. She doesn’t understand why someone would even say that about themselves: everyone deserves to be saved, especially if they have so much more to do.

“What makes you wonder about such a thing?” She asks him instead of herself.

“I’m useless. I keep spending my time in the hospital while someone needs to help me. I don’t see the point in it.”

“Are you regularly hospitalized?”

“Yeah. My workmates are more of my caretakers than they are my colleagues. I’m tired of it. What’s the point of being a nurse? What’s even the point of living such a life? Maybe I should’ve died instead, it’d have been better for everyone.”

Her assistant’s face is distorting with visible anger, if not _disgust_.

“Then, if you’re so unhappy, why don’t you quit? Why don’t you _change_ , instead of whining like a beaten dog licking his wounds?”

“Izumi, don’t say stuff like this!”

“ _You_ of all people should know how _ungrateful_ of you that is to say to a _surgeon_!”

“Izumi, stop it!” She eventually snaps at him while Nanase’s own face twists in all the wrong ways. “You’re doing more right than wrong!”

He’s about to argue back but, before he does so, he instead goes quiet, looking away. He gulps, then sighs, before speaking up again.

“…Dr Takanashi is right. Please ignore what I just said, Mr Nanase.”

Their patient remains quiet, watching them bicker in a very unprofessional manner before his eyes and in his hospital room.

“You should go take a breather, Izumi. I get it, you’re upset; but so is our patient, and there’s no reason for you to snap at him like this!”

“Right. I’ll see you around. My deepest apologies, Mr Nanase.”

Izumi leaves the room without adding a single word, almost silently opening and closing the door behind him.

Tsumugi then walks up to her patient, almost pulling a chair out before correcting herself.

“Please forgive us for our rudeness. Nurse Izumi can be, hum… clumsy with his words.”

“It’s fine… He had a point anyway. I was ungrateful to tell you that when you saved my life. You couldn’t have known.”

“It’s fine. We sometimes say things we didn’t intend on ever putting that way, don’t we?”

“You must be right… I wouldn’t want to make you lose your time, though. I’m sure you have a lot of other things to do.”

“Don’t worry about this, I’ll be all good! You’re the last patient of my rounds. Speaking of which, can I ask you a question, Mr Nanase?”

“Go for it.”

She finally pulls up her chair and sits on it, taking a breath before going forward with her plan.

“Why didn’t you want to be saved, as you put it?”

“I told you. I feel like my life is… worthless. I wanted to help people, but all I do is getting helped…”

“I’ve read on your medical profile that you suffer from a severe, chronic respiratory condition. Is that why you feel so helpless?”

“Yes. I’m wondering if it’s really worth living like a failure.”

“You’re not a failure! People like you are warriors who battle with themselves. What makes you think you’re even a failure?”

“…my twin brother disappeared without a word soon before I became a nurse. He never came to my graduation ceremony. I haven’t heard from him in years…”

It strikes something inside of her, pulling heartstrings she thought she had cut years ago. She feels her polite, content face become a mask and slip up.

“This hits home… I’m not supposed to talk about personal matters, but I think I can make an exception here. I used to want to die too.”

“You… You did? But you look so… so _happy_!”

“That’s because I tried to get over it and had the time to heal, but that wasn’t the case when I was younger. When I was young, my mother died from an incurable illness, which is why I got into the medical field in the first place. My father was supportive of it, but he also one day left without a word or a trace… I thought he had left because of me, so I wanted to disappear. If it weren’t for my father’s associate taking me under his wing after he found out about the disappearance, I’d have probably committed the unmentionable, or at least tried.”

She shakes her head and puts on a smile again despite the tears burning her eyes.

“Thanks to him, I realized I did want to continue on with my life, to save other’s and maybe find my father again to get an explanation out of him. That’s how I found the strength to continue on despite the dire circumstances.”

She gets up from her chair before her patient finds the time or word to respond with. It’d seem, by the less desolate expression on his face, that her speech has at least partially worked out. What a relief!

“I’ll now let you think over it, Mr Nanase. I know it’s hard to get rid of such dark ideas about yourself, but I promise, life is worth living, and it’s also worth saving. Have a nice rest and don’t hesitate to call someone from the staff and requesting me in case you need anything.”

“…thank you, Doctor,” he responds with an almost quiet voice.

With a last smile, she leaves the room, closing the door behind her.


	20. Blessing from Eirene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT II: Gift from the Gods - Chapter 9]  
> Things are getting better for Tsumugi, Nurse Nanase, and possibly Nurse Izumi. Kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon 2-8 is actually really short, so most of this is ya boi's invention (for once).   
> It's also the real beginning of the last arc of Act II, so I'm really excited to unveil what the hell this story is *actually* going to be about.

Someone told her it was a bad idea to bring Izumi with her to Mr Nanase’s room, especially after only a single day since the _incident_ , but Tsumugi didn’t let herself get won over: if she didn’t at least create an opportunity for him to fix his errors. In fact, this “someone” was Izumi himself looking away in shame and biting his lip and, for once, she may have been too stubborn for him to overcome. She doesn’t have the time nor reason to regret her act, by the way.

They stand in front of the door. She knocks while making sure Izumi isn’t bailing on her out of embarrassment or shame or whatever, and they enter with polite greetings.

“Good morning, Doctor,” Mr Nanase greets them back, his face much brighter than yesterday.

“I hope you’re doing fine.”

“I’m doing much better mentally than yesterday, thank you for the pep talk! You’re a great doctor, Dr Takanashi.”

“I’ve only done my mission as a doctor, don’t stress it. I’m relieved to know you’re looking forward to the future again.”

“Yeah! I’d rather be helping patients than being one myself. Do you know when I’ll be discharged?”

“Hmm… I’d say in around a week. You’ve been recovering steadily from the lobectomy we made on you.”

Izumi continues to look aside, head hanging down.

“Is there something wrong?” Tsumugi asks him as she pulls a little on his shirt, trying to get his attention.

“I told you, Dr Takanashi, I shouldn’t be here.”

“We’ve gone over this already, Izumi! If you want to fix your mistakes, you need to face them first! That’s why I insisted for you to come make my rounds with me!”

Tsumugi knows this really isn’t the best place to argue about such things. Still, they did go over it time and time again in the last two days because Izumi presented her with a paradox she hadn’t seen coming from him: he kept hitting himself over the head for his faulty behaviour around a patient (and, to be truthful, what he had said back there was indeed unacceptable).

Now, all she can do is hope that he’ll go forward with it. She can’t force someone to apologize, yet alone face what must be a great shame for him. As much as she wants the tense air to disappear, there’s quite a point to be made about what

He glances at her with pain in his eyes, but nonetheless takes a deep breath.

“Please allow me to once again apologize to you for my unacceptable words, Mr Nanase. There is no excuse for it, and I don’t expect you to forgive such unaccepted behaviour coming from a fellow nurse. I am relieved you decided to take in account Dr Takanashi’s words instead.”

When she looks at him, Tsumugi suddenly sees, in lieu of the composed assistant she’s grown to know and appreciate for what he is, a terrified boy with sweat pearling down his temple and whose rigid voice and tone hide a breathing which keeps getting caught in his throat.

“It’s fine. You had a point anyway, Nurse Izumi.”

“I did no—”

Tsumugi interrupts her assistant with a quick wave of the hand. He immediately goes quiet, gulping down his words. She now directs her smile at him, taking on how he suddenly went from stiff and terrified to endearing, if not _cute_ , in her eyes. (Ha, he’d probably never admit such a thing, knowing him!)

“I told you so. You faced your own mistakes and you got forgiven for them. You shouldn’t reject forgiveness, Izumi, if you don’t think you deserve it.”

He doesn’t add anything, only bowing to their patient with an almost inaudible “thank you” exiting his lips.

“Good. Thank you for your patience and forgiveness, Nurse Nanase. We’re both very thankful for it.”

“Wait, you just called me “Nurse”, right?”

An awkward chuckle escapes her lips.

“I did?” (Izumi nods in her direction, so she feels her cheeks heat up). “Oh, oh well then…! I suppose I can call you that, since you’ll be out of this hospital before you even know it! At least, that’s if you’re okay with it, of course…”

“It’s all good, don’t worry! I like it, actually. It makes me excited to go back to work!”

“It’s settled then!”

The serene atmosphere that she managed to get from the jaws of tension makes her prompt to have some chit-chat with her patient. It’s always been one of her favourite aspects of the medical field: getting to know the people you’ve helped, if not saved, and know where they went and what they did after their first meeting. In fact, she needs to correct herself: hearing back from her former patients is her favourite part of her job, as it’s both heart-warming and rewarding. She can’t ask for a better illustration of her job’s best aspects.

“Speaking of which, Nurse Nanase, how is your workplace?”

“Oh, it’s very warm! It’s a very small hospital in the outskirt on the city, almost on the countryside! It’s a bit ancient and it’s probably going to be closed soon, but I love working there. We’re all very close to each other, so I’m really excited to reunite with them!”

They’re chatting together, at times giggling, Izumi judging them in silence with a smirk that betrays his amusement (and, most likely, his relief: his shoulders are far less tense, now), when she notices Nanase starting to claw into his shirt, right where fresh bandages must still be there.

“Nurse Nanase?” She calls out.

“It… It burns, Doctor!” He screams with tears in his eyes and sorrow in his throat. “It _burns_!”

He starts coughing and choking, red suddenly filling their vision, splattered across their patient’s paling skin and bedsheets.

“I… want to live, Doctor! Please… Please let me live again…!”

“Izumi, go alert the rest of the staff! We need to operate now!”

“On it!”

Before they leave the room, she leaves some last words so he knows where they’re going.

“Don’t worry, Nurse Nanase! You’ll recover and get back to living life at its fullest, I promise!”

“I… I believe in you, Doctor…”

“I’ll make sure you made the right call then!”

She shortly thereafter runs outside and, after checking if someone was here to pick up her next operation’s patient, heads straight into the OR, not taking a second to overthink any of her decisions.


	21. Paging Asclepius

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT II: Gift of the Gods - Chapter 10]  
> Tsumugi, her mentor and her nurse get a surprise that's somehow even worse than the last one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo is that the plot finally unveiling itself? Maybe. Maaaaaaaybe.

As she prepares herself for surgery, Tsumugi remembers a conversation they recently had with Dr Orikasa and Izumi on Nanase’s case.

They had found weird elements about the results. None of them explained the bleeding in his chest nor how the gashes found their way there (which still made no sense to anyone involved with Nanase’s case), but they pointed to extremely high levels of syprohedrine, an antihistamine he couldn’t have taken for any of his allergies (and Lord knew how many of these poor Nanase had), as it was still in the experimental stages. Its side effects from overdosing on it included headaches and emotional distress, occasionally triggering mood swings strong enough to give suicidal ideas. This would explain the sudden suicidal idealization coming from someone who otherwise was described and showed himself as fairly happy-go-lucky. They ended the meeting with no clear conclusion, albeit they directly linked the excesses of syprohedrine to whatever caused the lacerations inside his chest. Both had to have been caused artificially.

As she finishes disinfecting her hands and putting on her gloves, Tsumugi can only agree with this deduction, although she can’t dwell over them for too long. They have more urgent matters to take care of, finding the how and the why will have to wait.

Dr Orikasa has joined them for this operation, as he suspects something darker is behind this. She can’t exactly blame him for thinking so, especially when the situation is so tense. Nanase is already slipping back into shock, as if this is a relapse. They don’t even have the time for a proper pre-operation conference again, just briefly summarizing everything in the OR itself with the patient right in front of them.

“We suspect haemorrhage in his lungs. Since we don’t have anything to go off on nor have time to hesitate, we’ll have to do what we can do, which I suspect may not be much. Dr Takanashi, you’ll have to perform a lobectomy once again. I’ll be your assistant along with Izumi, so please focus and stay calm.”

“Roger.”

She quickly executes the order, opening Nanase’s chest as carefully as possible despite the speed that is currently being required from her. Much to everyone’s horror, the lacerations have come back: in fact, they’re even worse than before, with an additional deep gash having made its way in _somehow_. It’s still a locked room mystery, as Nanase doesn’t sport any external injuries yet again. How could he have even developed such lacerations when he’s been in the same hospital room under the watchful eyes of the staff?

“Just proceed the same way as before, Dr Takanashi, but be careful.”

Here she goes again, draining blood, pulling sides of deep lacerations together and suturing. As swift as away, Izumi gives her the tools she requests quickly and without fault, albeit his hands are shaking a little. She can’t blame him: she’s rather intimidated too. The supernatural nature of this case and the fact she now has a personality to give to the person whose lung she’s currently trying to save horrifies her in ways she currently can’t express properly.

“Nice job, Dr Takanashi. You can now close the pa—”

Right as Dr Orikasa declares the procedure over, a slash forms on the surface of the lung, spontaneous and unexplainable.

“What is going on?!” He exclaims loudly, cussing under his breath.

“Doctor, use the ultrasound! It must come from _under_ the organic tissue!”

Without hesitation, she picks the tool from Izumi’s hands, instantly using it onto the lung. Right as she does, a shadow appears right under the surface, like a predator hiding underwater and waiting for its prey to show up. Remembering vague memories from tainted teenage years, she picks up the nearby scalpel and makes an incision over the shadow.

From the lung rises in a sharp slash a bat-shaped _creature_ with dark blue wings that resembles blades.

Without her consent, her brain suddenly goes into autopilot and starts lasering the creature away under the surprised eyes of both her mentor and assistant. It burns and vanishes, leaving her to suture the two lacerations and apply gel onto her incision site.

“It… It’s gone,” Izumi states, voice almost devoid of emotion.

Still, they’re not allowed to take a breather: two lacerations suddenly form right afterwards, causing Dr Orikasa to cuss again. Tsumugi goes for the same process again: she finds two shadows with the ultrasound, then makes the two creatures get out from the lung with her scalpel, and laser them out. She injects stabiliser into the patient and sutures or puts gel over the wounds left behind. How much of this is left to do? It seems like it’ll never end!

“That can’t be possible… What even are these things?” Izumi wonders out loud, staring with dilatated eyes.

Her efforts first seem to be in vain: three lacerations appear as quickly as the previous ones, all meeting in one middle point. She sutures them first, fearing for Nanase’s vitals that are already dangerously low as is (and she doesn’t have the time to inject much more stabiliser into his system as she wishes she could), and then moves on to using the ultrasound. There’s only one shadow this time, but it’s bigger than the previous ones. It’d seem like it’s a chief of sorts.

An incision quickly proves her assumption right: from the cut emerges a bigger “bat”, cyan in colour and wings still as cutthroat as ever. When she hits it with the laser, unlike the others, it plunges back into the lung, creating yet another laceration in its path. As expected, the ones they’ve faced off against must have been immature strains, and this is their final stage in full display… If it puts up a fight, then she’ll rise to the challenge and save her patient!

The loop restarts: ultrasound, scalpel, laser, sutures, gel. When it emerges back again, it always creates a laceration in its path, creates a second one if she’s too slow (which she happens to be there because she just _had_ to fumble with the tools, did she!), and she needs to suture that shut again. And so the process repeats a third time: ultrasound, scalpel, laser, sutures, gel. Except, this time, no wound appears once she’s done treating everything else. Thank Asclepius for that.

“You… You did it, Doctor,” Izumi states after a collective sigh of relief. “Please close the patient.”

She does so with muscle memory, as her head is full of thoughts. It’d seem like it’s also the case for Dr Orikasa, whose eyes are staring into the void. Izumi, on the other hand, looks like he’s completely lost in the flow of unspoken words.

“At least, and at last, Nurse Nanase should be able to recover soon,” he instead states. “Thank you, Doctor.”

The three of them soon find themselves in Dr Orikasa’s office, door closed and locked. The latter is sitting at his desk, she’s on the other side, and Izumi guards the entrance to the room. The silence between them is thick, heavy even.

There’s a lot of things that have come and gone inside her mind ever since she saw the bats rise. They’re not bats, she knows that; but she also doesn’t know what in the world these miniature weapons could be. Well, actually, perhaps that’s what they are: bioweapons, meant to destroy their host, without a semblance of a natural behaviour. These things aren’t _natural_. They just can’t be.

“Before we start, I’ll ask you to keep this confidential. What happened today is to stay among us and within the walls of the OR, and it can’t get out at any cost. Am I clear?”

“Of course.”

“Izumi, could you please fetch me Nanase Riku’s medical files? I’ll provide updates when I can.”

“I will.”

He’s about to turn the key into the lock and leave when Tsumugi, suddenly having a flash about a name she previously couldn’t remember.

“…Doctor, could you this be GUILT?”

The silence gets heavier as they both stare at each other, a dumbfounded Izumi hesitating to leave the room.

“I suppose it could… What makes you think that, Tsumugi?”

“Oh, I couldn’t tell you for sure, but I remember reading about it in my father’s research.”

“When could have your father come across GUILT?”

“I couldn’t tell you, as much as I want to.”

“If you ever find anything else, please tell me. In the meantime, I’ll look into this. I insist again: everything here and about GUILT is confidential.”

“Understood.”

When they finally exit the room, the only words they exchange are Izumi’s whispers:

“Doctor, what _exactly_ is GUILT?”


	22. Carmen Saeculare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT II: Gift of the Gods - Chapter 11]  
> Nanase's operation has left a lot of questions in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I knew attending boring Latin e-classes would be useful for something: the title of this chapter comes from a chant of the same name written by Horacius.

She’s never liked being convoked into the director’s office, sure, but the fact Tsumugi can’t find a reason as to why Dr Ogami would suddenly want to have a one-on-one conversation with her only makes her dread their encounter even more. As much as she likes venturing into new territories, she’s also never liked not having a single idea as to what was waiting for her.

She knocks on the door anyway, soon greeted by a “please come in”. No matter what is in store for her, it’s now or never to discover and immediately after that face it; so she opens the door before she can hesitate too badly about it.

“Good morning, Tsumugi,” he tells her in a serious voice and even more serious tone.

She closes the door behind her, walks to the chair in front of him and sits on it. Much to her surprise, Dr Orikasa is also in the room, standing next to the desk. There’s a folder right between her director and her.

“Please pardon my indiscreet question, but why did you want to see me?”

“Why don’t you take a look at this before, then?” Dr Orikasa slides the folder into her hands.

“Who’s this…” Before she can ask, she reads the name. “Wait, this is Nurse Nanase’s!”

“Continue reading.”

As she does, Tsumugi’s eyes meet initials and words she’s never even heard about nor read at all. She wasn’t the top of her med school class, but she was serious enough to know her medical thesaurus by heart, and she’s genuinely surprised that _none_ of this is making _any_ sense to her.

“What are these headings? I don’t recognize any of them…” She wonders out loud, half-directed at her and half-directed at her actual interlocutors. “GUILT, positive Chiral reaction, spectral analysis… What do all of these refer to?”

“These are results from tests way above our current testing capacities, so we’ve enlisted the help of an outside party. In the past year, strange cases like Nanase’s have risen with varying symptoms in sparse parts of the area. The only point shared by all of these patients was that their bodies seemed to have turned against themselves and eventually lead to a quick death.”

She’s never seen Dr Orikasa sound this serious before. His voice is low and slow, as if he was afraid of what he is going to say next. 

“Because of how sudden and violent these deaths are, we believe the patients were all infected with GUILT.”

She unconsciously wrinkles the paper sheets in her hands, hit by a sudden wave of dread.

“So, you think Nurse Nanase’s illness was…”

“Indeed,” Dr Ogami chimes in. “Nanase Riku was a GUILT victim. It’s a miracle you were even able to treat him without the proper tools.”

“I’ll but honest, it was a difficult operation, the hardest I’ve ever attempted, in fact… but I just really wanted to save him, that’s all. He deserved to live for much longer.”

“It may have changed your life, Tsumugi,” Banri tells her with a slight smile. “The organization we mentioned earlier wants you to join their ranks.”

“Ah?” Then it hits her. “Wait, why me?! Why would they want a rookie surgeon like me?!”

“The reason is obvious, isn’t it?” He giggles, amused. “You managed to save a GUILT victim in a little hospital like ours. They were more than impressed.”

Tsumugi’s face feels like it’s been set on fire. This is a lot to take in…

“What is this organization anyway?”

“They’re an arm of the WHO named Caduceus. Their main objective is to eradicate intractable and incurable diseases.”

The name is kind of familiar.

“Oh, I remember reading about them in med school. They were mentioned a lot on essays about cancer or AIDS research. Aren’t they the one who got rid of a strain of flu last year?” Still, the question remains. “And they want _me_ of all people? Why not you, Dr Orikasa?”

“I’m not the one who saved Nanase from death, Tsumugi,” he mentor answers with a grin. “Besides, you’ve just been offered a chance to work on the frontline of medicine. This is due to your accomplishments, not mine.”

“I-I mean, it’s an honour, b-but… It’s so sudden, I’m unsure what to make of it! It’d be such a big change, I’m… I really don’t know what do to about their proposal…”

“It’s a proposal, not an order, Tsumugi. Take your time to decide what’s best for you.”

“It’s a big decision to take too,” Dr Ogami comments. “Moreover, I’m telling you this because a good friend of mine asked me to. I don’t think a lab is the right place for you. Don’t you prefer being face-tp-face with the patients?”

“That’s true…”

“Before you take your decision, however, I’d also like you to take a look at this.”

Everybody loses any trace of a smile they could have had left as she picks the piece of paper handed to her. She quickly looks over it, takes in all of the handwriting and the Greek characters whose transliteration has been scribbled onto the shit with a pencil. Judging from the letters’ shapes, it’s Dr Ogami’s handwriting.

“…A letter?”

“It arrived shortly before Nanase Riku did. We don’t know who could have sent it to us. Supposedly, these are sent shortly before a GUILT victim does,” Dr Ogami explains as she glances over it.

_Κυριακι (Kyriaki) - Sunday_

_Death is denied those who seek it, thought it be their destiny. They search for it like treasure, but the modern age conceals it._

“What does that mean…?” Tsumugi wonders out loud, in disbelief.

“It means that GUILT doesn’t happen naturally, which means it could be some sort of human-made virus,” Dr Orikasa explicates. “We, however, don’t have any leads as to who could be doing that, or when, or where, and especially not why. Whomever they are, they are already on the UN’s bioterrorism watchlist.”

She got that hunch before, when she was operating on Nurse Nanase. It’d have been better if she had been wrong, but sometimes, reality is just that cold and harsher than fiction, she supposes…

“Caduceus is expecting a wide-scale GUILT outbreak to happen soon and they need strong doctors to fight against it.”

“Tsumugi, I hope you now understand just how important the stakes are here. Make your decision wisely, okay? If you need assistance or someone to talk about it to, don’t hesitate to tell either Yuki or me. We’ll be glad to help you sort your mind, albeit I’m not sure if we’ll manage to be unbiased…”

“…I absolutely do, Dr Ogami.”

There truly is a lot of things to consider and process here… Perhaps she needs a breather to figure out what to do.

Or several, actually.


	23. Demigoddess's Duties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT II: Gift from the Gods - Chapter 12]  
> Tsumugi has a big, big choice to make and she doesn't like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You get two cameos for the price of one. Nobody asked about them and I'm pretty sure nobody here is going to guess why one of them is here and why it's so overly specific while I cackle at myself for having opened Pandora's crossover box again. The other may ring a familiar bell to Blood, Sweat and Tears readers, even if it's far less obvious than having Kimidori cameo.  
> Also, whomever was silently asking for backstory is gonna get a big good dose of it. Pogs.

Trying to put all of the questions she has in mind, Tsumugi checks over the patient in Room 207: a raven-haired young man, younger than his looks would have made her believe, who got in two days ago. She wouldn’t have expected to find his room at the very edge of the paediatric ward, that’s for sure…

“I’m sorry if I gave you any trouble, Dr Takanashi,” he tells her, looking at her with eyes almost as apologetic as his words (and perhaps personality). “With how much it hurt, I can only imagine it must have been delicate to deal with…”

“Oh, not at all, don’t worry. Appendicitis is a fairly common condition, so most of us surgeons are used to treating it. Plus, you’re young, so your recovery has gone very smoothly until now. Let’s hope it’ll continue on!”

“Let’s,” he replies with a hushed voice. “Thank you again, Doctor.”

“I’m only doing my job, no need to thank me so much! Now, you should rest, you’re still fatigued, aren’t you?”

“I suppose so… Have a nice afternoon, Doctor.”

“Nice afternoon to you too.”

Abe Cheren, 16. A half-foreigner genius, born to a Japanese father and a Bulgarian mother, whom she’d have never thought was actually a teenager the first time she saw him out of the OR. He has a bright path in front of him, but he tends to plague himself with a lot of questions and has troubles taking decisions as a result.

The fact she knows so much about this boy just reminds her of how much she loves discussing with her patients. This really is one of the aspects she loves the most about her job: how can she give up on it so suddenly? Unfortunately for her, she’ll have to find an answer to that question eventually, most likely sooner than later, if the world is about to get hit with a terrible manmade disease…

Half an hour later and Tsumugi finds herself in a pre-operation conference.

“The patient is Murasaki Koi, a little girl who has been in our paediatric ward”, Dr Orikasa explains as he goes over the profile one last time. “She suffers from mitral prolapse and regurgitation. Due to possible complications, it’s necessary to replace the valve with a synthetic one.”

A very young child with a valvular heart disease. She can still picture her asking Cheren why he didn’t want to play with the other children. To say she’s going to be operating on her… terrifies her, but it’s too late, far too late to get scared. She’ll have to go through with it, even if the stakes are just this high.

“It was a tough decision, but her parents finally decided to go ahead with the decision. Your only objective here is to replace the valve. For that, you’ll use a triple incision to excise it. You’ll need to be as cautious as possible. Are you good?”

“I’m all good.”

“If progress and technology has made things easier for us, don’t forget surgery still relies on a skilful doctor, and always will. Izumi, please keep an eye on the oscillograph to help Dr Takanashi.”

“Of course.”

“Please don’t let the gravity of this operation get to you, Tsumugi. You can absolutely do it, that’s why Koi and her family have entrusted you with it. The conference is over now, good luck.”

“Let’s not lose any more time. Begin the operation!”

Just like she did for Nanase, Tsumugi forces herself not to look at the face of her young patient. This poor girl is stuck in an unflattering position, her platinum hair hidden away by an ill-looking hat.

“Her report details frequent occurrences of light arrythmia,” Izumi comments as she prepares for the incision. “Be ready for the unexpected, Doctor.”

And he’s right to tell her so: as soon as she gets access to the heart, they’re immediately greeted by the heart monitor shrilling.

“She’s suffering from ventricular fibrillation!” He yells as he picks up the defibrillator. “I’ll attempt to stop the convulsions! Three, two, one… Clear!”

To no avail: the heart of the patient doesn’t stabilize.

“I’ll massage it, then,” Tsumugi states as she does so, carefully bringing the organ back to a regular heartbeat.

After some stressful time which had to have been shorter than what they both felt like it was, her patient’s pulse was back to a fairly normal state.

“Doctor, the patient was born highly irregular heartbeat. She may continue to go into convulsions as we go along, so you need to be very careful.”

“I think I have a solution to that. If we end the operation quickly, she won’t have to suffer like this!”

“I… I don’t like where you’re going with this, Dr Takanashi.”

Her tone grows serious, perhaps too much so, considering the expression on her assistant’s face.

“Please, Izumi, just believe me on that one. My instincts have yet to fail me.”

He sighs, “then, I suppose I have no other choice but to trust you…”

“Thank you.”

In a quick move of her hand, Tsumugi pictures the bright blue star and snaps herself into this state of intense focus. First, she drains the blood around it to clear her field of vision. Then, she delicately excises the valve from the heart, following the three incisions on the left side, then the right, and finally the tissue itself; all while handling her scalpel with the upmost care.

Once that’s done, she drains the blood pouring from the cavity, then places the new valve in. With a couple sutures in, the substitution is done. She closes the heart before the effect fades out, as she doesn’t need it anymore. One final stitch and it’ll be all okay for this little girl, she’ll be able to gain freedom from a curse that came with her birth…

She sighs as she’s done, suddenly slipping into a contemplative state while Izumi listens to her, for some reason. He’s grown a little less impatient with her with time, so maybe she shouldn’t be this surprised…

“Now that the operation is over, she’ll be able to go play with all of her friends outside. Still, poor girl, she’s much too young to go through this… Nobody should, in fact. Having someone cut your chest open like that is very unnatural, but you know what, Izumi? I feel better about it knowing this heart never stopped fighting. I must sound silly to you, I know. The human body really is something of beauty, isn’t it?”

“It is,” he replies as he begins wheeling the patient out. She doesn’t think her point has come across this well.

Soon later, out of scrubs and ponytail set back behind her shoulders, she finds herself facing Koi’s mother. The woman looks very concerned, nervously sitting on the other chair of her office. Izumi let her enter before she arrived, finishing to fill up some paperwork.

“Is… Is my daughter going to be alright?” The mother’s voice is trembling, chockful of emotions she’s trying to keep contained inside of her.

“The operation was a success. She’ll still need two months of rest before she can go back to school, but once that’s over, she’ll be able to live life back to its fullest.”

“That’s such good news… Thank you so much, Doctor!”

Judging from the tears about to spill from the poor mother’s tired eyes, Tsumugi feels like she needs to say something to relieve her even further. She doesn’t like watching people cry per say, and that’s not her objective here: she just thinks that, if she continues on with her explanation, then it may help her interlocutor regain her composure.

“People are always concerned about heart surgery, and for good reasons. Modern medicine, however, allows us to treat ever more difficult conditions in ways that were unimaginable years ago, sometimes less than a decade before. Your daughter is still young and will physically tecover quickly, but such a heavy operation can have lasting psychological impact. So, please, treat her with a lot of tender loving care during her recovery.”

“Of course, anything other than that would be out of the question…”

 _Modern medicine_ , huh…

Far, far away shards from her memories come back in black-and-white waves crashing onto a monochrome beach.

_I’m very sorry… Modern medicine just hasn’t advanced enough to treat a disease like this. You have my condolences…_

_“Dad, why are you crying? Mom’s gonna be okay, right?” A little girl with a full head of blond hair and a pink bow keeping them together keeps asking, looking around. “She… She’s gonna get better soon, right? Why isn’t she getting better, then?!” She grabs the doctor’s white coat with her tiny hands. “You can fix her! You just gotta! She’s my mom, you can’t let her…”_

_I’m sorry, dear. No doctor in the world can save your mother from such a devastating illness._

Even if things have come a long way, the pain lingers and will never disappear. Mom died, then Dad got obsessed with work, he disappeared, and she was left all alone with no one but Kinako to keep her company. And, despite these circumstances, thanks to Banri, she’s still here and she’s becoming the surgeon who’d have saved her mother.

She knows what is left for her to do so less and less people have to go through what her father and she did. Something which she needs to ask her assistant about first.


	24. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT II: Gift from the Gods - Chapter 12]  
> A choice got made. Here are the consequences of said choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter of Act II is, surprise surprise, a Fly original. Well, not quite: it's actually half of 2-11, the last episode of Chapter 2, but most of that episode actually went into the previous chapter. TC has a legendarily quick pacing for its plot and I really couldn't find a way to make the last of 2-11 feel in the direct continuation of everything else.  
> Of course, we still have the Intermission before Act II ends and its hiatus comes, but for now, let's see how the next development goes!

She’s nervous, very much so, but Tsumugi can’t go back down on her decisions now. Not when she asked for this, not when she has convinced Izumi to come with her to the door of their director’s office. He doesn’t quite seem thrilled about it, albeit he’s nonetheless come, and she’s more than grateful for it.

She knocks, then enters upon getting given the permission to do so. She gestures for him to come in too, but he insists on staying outside. Well, she can’t force him, can she? Even if she’d have loved for him to come with her, as this may be one of the last days they spend together as colleagues (and, if she may say so, as closer-than-average ones at that), pushing him to do so would ruin the point…

Her shoulders rise and fall in rapid succession, her breath nervous and her eyes blinking. She’s trying to keep her calm, but she’s never quite been able to handle her stress outside of the OR. It’d take a lot of self-control lessons she can’t quite afford at the moment. He gives her a smile nonetheless.

“Dr Ogami, I took my decision.”

“I’m glad to know you’ve already settled on something. Are you certain?”

“Yes.”

“And what would this decision, be, then?”

“I’m going to accept the offer from Caduceus.”

Banri leans back into his chair, a hand on his chin. He doesn’t seem defeated per say, not even dejected, just a little melancholic. His face frowns.

“I suppose you’ve thought over it a lot, if you can tell me so with such conviction in your voice. Do I need to conclude that you’re willing to throw at least a part of your own happiness and a lot of your comfort for this?”

“I… I know what happened in the past, Dr Ogami. I know what happened to my mother, to my father and to you. I’m aware that having the Healing Touch will put more pressure on my shoulders that if I just stayed here. Your concerns, which I’m sure are also Izumi’s, are entirely valid. The path I’m choosing for myself will be full of pain, I’m sure; but I didn’t become a doctor for my own comfort’s sake. I became one to save lives and to prevent others to be lost to incurable diseases, not ever again.”

She takes a breath again, taking in the face of her adoptive parent: his frown has softened into a sad one, and it aches her heart; yet she continues, because, in her heart, she knows her decision will hurt some, but help so many others that it’ll all be worth it by the end.

“Diseases are painful. Losing someone to one is even more so, and we both know it from experience. The most difficult part in a doctor’s life is to tell someone their loved one can’t be saved due to a wild range of reasons. None of them, however, will make up for the loss of a person we cherish. Caduceus, on the other hand, has found ways to save thousands of people from early demises they didn’t deserve. If they think I can somehow help them in their process and find cures for what we deem to be “incurable, then… I’ll accept that responsibility without skipping a beat! I’m joining Caduceus!”

She locks her gaze into Banri’s, whose face now shows a little smile. In fact, if she isn’t mistaken, he seems oddly relieved about what she’s just thrown onto his lap.

“I’m glad to hear you’ve taken your decision based on such just principles. Even if I’m sad to see you go, as we won’t be workmates anymore, I’ll remain by your side and behind your back. In fact, everyone at Kibou will. Go ahead, your intentions are noble.”

She bows to him, a smile inexorably drawing itself onto her lips.

“Thank you very much, Banri!”

That’s one less concern she has about her decision. Now, there is one that’s left behind, and she’s about to face it in the person of her own assistant. Her relieved expression disappears as soon as she exits the room.

“I… I need to tell you something, I—”

“I _know,_ I _heard_ it,” he interjects with a dejected tone.

“Sorry for that, Izumi. It’s dirty of me to leave you behind like that with little to no warning beforehand. I hope you’ll find yourself a surgeon that matches your abilities more than me. You’ve always deserved better than me anyway. I’ve only pulled you down.”

He doesn’t respond, even if his frowned eyebrows and pressed lips give away his frustration. His fists turn into balls. His footsteps stop in the corridor.

“…Izumi?”

When he spins around, she sees his face distorted with an anguish she’s never seen him wear.

“How… How can you tell me that right to my face?”

“Huh?”

“We’ve worked together for _months_ , Dr Takanashi, and yet you never even _once_ consulted me about this. You left me in the dark all this time, _never_ bringing it up, and yet you expect me to take this all peachy-clean?!”

Time freezes for a moment. Of course he’d be at least bothered by this, if he trusted her.

“I… You’re right, I should’ve told you about it before. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I forgot to tell you, my most trusted ally… I understand that you’re upset at me, Izumi. I think I’d be too, if I was in your shoes.”

His shoulders go down with a sigh. She can’t quite see his face looking down, obscured by his bangs.

“…I was glad to be working with you, then, Dr Takanashi.”

“It was a pleasure to have an assistant like you, nurse Izumi.”

Tears come to her eyes, which she pathetically attempts to dry with her arm.

“We should get going,” he says, and she silently agrees.

She’s soon going to miss another assistant, she wordlessly realizes as they both regain her office, footsteps heavy and hearts heavier.


	25. Βlasphemous Miracle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [INTERMISSION BETA]  
> Yamato goes back to the belly of the beast and is less than happy about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mind that I'm a couple days late - I was honestly having my brain rotted away by the Ace Attorney series. On my way to finish Apollo Justice baby.  
> So yeah, the Yams chapter and the end of Act II. Wish I had more to say about it, but Act II was only the premise of the actual plot I'm afraid. Until then, you can discover a new character: Yamato's literal partner in crime! He may ring a bell to some of you...

Yamato opens the door to his flat, less than happy about being disturbed in the middle of his baseball game. Televised sports may as well be one of the few things that haven’t betrayed him just yet.

“What is it, today?” He asks to the pink-haired boy with matching eyes and a strictly knotted tie standing right in front of him. He better make it worth his time: he was planning on lazing the afternoon away, not operating on some guy without a name.

“A benign operation,” the boy replies with his usual cold tone. “If you may follow me, Dr Nikaido.”

Well, he doesn’t seem to have a choice, does he…

The ride to that wretched place isn’t supposed to feel long. In fact, it’s almost the neighbourhood next door. The issue there is that guy with the sharp look and the cold tone. His chauffeur is stiffer than a brand-new plank of wood and it doesn’t seem like he’ll ever remove the stick he’s gotten shoved up his ass any sooner. The silence makes the ride feel like an eternity and a half, so he instead browses his phone and pretends like he has friends in this country.

Well, at least, that means he doesn’t have to pretend like he’s any good at chit-chat. He doesn’t even know what they’d talk about. How much their lives suck? How close they are to being thrown behind bars for their shady business practices? What they ate for dinner yesterday? God, that’d mean having to discuss the many ways he’s found to fail cooking omelette rice. That sounds terrifying.

They eventually arrive to a shady business downtown. If he didn’t come here before and knew exactly what was waiting for him today, he’d have thought his chauffeur wanted to smuggle him in a dark alley, steal all of his belongings and drug him so he could sell his organs on some even shadier black market.

Their base of operation is in the decrepit Old Brooks St. Hospital, Santa Balboa. The place is in an absolute mess of a condition: on the outside, it’s an abandoned private hospital that was left to rot. In fact, on the surface, it’s exactly that: a decrepit old hospital that was deserted after it got obsolete and failed to be sold to someone else with more financial means. All of the magic happens underground, where shady-looking, yet modern, examination and operation rooms have been installed.

As always, he lets Tie-Guy guide him to wherever he needs to go, then present the situation to him.

“This one has a tumour in his large intestine, so we need you to remove it.” His voice is as cold as his demeanour.

“Nothing unusual coming from you guys, then.”

“I should warn you beforehand that this particular tumour. He contracted it during an early research stage, so I’m afraid it’s mostly advanced by now. They don’t think he has much chance of survival. Of course, we’d rather not lose him. This is why they wanted you to try operating him.”

“I’d ask what this research can possible be for, but I also feel like you wouldn’t respond with anything of real substance. Also, it’s your, what, fourth case this month? Are you guys having troubles?”

“These people aren’t afraid to die. No need to waste your sympathy on them.”

“Don’t worry about that, sympathy ain’t something I feel much around here. These patients are nobody here, anyway, how do you expect me to feel anything but apathy towards them?”

“Do you think you’ll use your Healing Touch on this case?”

“Would you even call me if it wasn’t serious enough for me not to? That’d be a waste of time for me and of money for you.” Okay, enough chit-chat. “Let’s get this over with, bring him in.”

The patient’s profile reveals he just needs to remove an “unusual tumour” from his large intestine. As always, his name is shown as “GUILT patient”, which has the undeniable advantage of being short to read and very impersonal, so he can’t wonder who the hell he’s operating. His only true warning to look out for is for the patient’s vitals to possibly heavily fluctuate. It’d seem that nobody even knows what these tumours are all about. He wishes he was surprised.

The anaesthesia is proceeding well enough, so he can start on schedule. Of course, that thing isn’t natural (nothing ever is, with these goons). He’ll need to keep an eye on that if he doesn’t want to lose his license again, sure, but he’ll also be damned if he doesn’t at least stare at it with a judgmental glare. He can, when he has a failsafe net in case anything was to turn wrong.

It’s the same song as always: disinfect (with what little gel they have, hoping it’s not rotten), cut, make yourself a home. He immediately gets greeted by a puddle cytoplasm supported by three inflated veins.

“Well, these guys weren’t kidding, that thing’s an abomination,” he says out loud as grabs the drain on the tray.

Powell procedure it is. He drains the cytoplasm, then severs the veins, which has the unwelcome effect of lowering the vitals quicker than he’d appreciate them to. The draining caused smaller tumours to be created, which he proceeds to laser. After pulling the main tumour out and a little pass of gel over the holes left behind, it’s as good as new.

And, as always, he spoke too fast: two other tumours, identical to the one he just finished removing, appear. He lets out an audible sigh of frustration at having to start all over again when the contract said there was going to be one and not two of these things, so he’s kind of pissed. Well, let’s go back to the grind, then. These tumours won’t disappear on their own, will they? Drain, scalpel, forceps, laser, gel…

And then it reappears.

“Why the hell does it keep regenerating? _How_?!” He cusses under his breath. Better not be heard by the overlords.

He takes a breath in, then expels it. As he begins the process all over again, this time opting to work on both at the same time, his thoughts spell out loud onto the heavy air that smells like disinfectant and mould at the same time.

“Okay, okay, keep your calm, Yams. No matter what, you need to remove these things. They did tell you they didn’t know what that thing exactly was all about. That’ll teach you to do shady business…”

He finishes the job by lasering both tumours’ leftovers, then patching them up with that miracle of a gel. It heals bone fractures, it heals lasering artefacts, it can even be used as a moisturizer. What can this thing not do? What did they put in it, liquid panacea? Someone in the research lab has to have at least sold their soul to some kind of Eldritch monstrosity for it to exist.

And then, right as he has the sheer audacity to think this is over yet again, four of them show up right under his nose. This _really_ isn’t his day. Anyway, that’s beside the point, so he gets his shit together and picture the light green star that has ruined his life and brought him to his dignity’s knees. This ends now.

As always, his poisoned gift allows him to quickly work around the patient’s vitals possibly dropping like crazy: instead, each action he takes heals the body afterwards. Draining cytoplasm, severing veins, burning away smaller tumours: it doesn’t matter. Everything will heal the patient as if his fingers were covered in the miraculous jelly that some guys in a lab came up with a couple years back. If you think about it, maybe it’s all a conspiracy to make every single medical worker addicted to their services and blackmail everyone in case they needed even more money.

He should stop watching so much Sci-Fi movies. They don’t keep his head away from “work” and especially don’t please him whenever he sees _that face_ pop up on the screen from time to time. Oh well, while he was zoning out, he managed to patch up the patient. Yeah, he sees why they called him, now.

And, just like always, Yamato leaves the guy there and exits the room, only bothering to remove the gloves and hygiene hat he’s been given. They’re not exactly affording him more scrubs than that, which he’s gotten over long ago. There’s no luxury nor rest for the wicked and the highly illegal. They don’t even seem to pay the electricity bills properly, or are at the very least trying to cut down on its cost, considering how little this place is lit. It’s a miracle he hasn’t already tripped over something like his own unmade shoelace.

And, just as always, there’s Tie-Guy waiting for him, stiffer than yesterday’s bread loaf whose had the night to become harder than rock. 

“Amazing, as always. It’s such a shame that someone with your level of skills got radiated from exerting surgery. It’d seem like the medical field isn’t ready for someone who can manipulate energy like you do. Then again, there can’t possibly be a lot of other people who possess such abilities.”

“You’re unusually chatty today, you know that?”

“Pardon me, Doctor. I didn’t intend to speak so much.”

“I don’t mind, I’m just used to you being all-business-no-talk, that’s all.”

Now, that’s all set and good, but there’s one last issue left on the table.

“Lemme know when you’ve transferred the payment.”

“Double-checking, are we? You’re pragmatic as always.”

“Hey, don’t be that sarcastic, I gotta live by somehow. Life ain’t cheap y’know! Plus, it’s not like that ability can bring me anything more than money, these days.”

“Understood. You’ll be contacted as soon as the payment is made. However, don’t forget what’s the most important in our contract…”

Tie-Guy’s voice suddenly deepens. He should probably feel a chill down in spine from that shift in attitude, but truth be told, he’s used to it, and Tie-Guy is much smaller than him. Not to mention, there’s a scalpel nearby.

“We’re the ones who saved you when your license got revoked. We’re the ones who gave you this new life in America. We’re the ones who made you a white bird again. Remember what you owe us and how much.”

“As if I didn’t know that already… I’m aware of how much shit I put myself in. I’ll repay you the favour for as long as I need to, so rest easy. I know where my interest lies.”

“Glad to hear it. Well then, would you please come with me? I’ll escort you home, as always.”

“Let’s do that.”

Goodbye to this shitty place. Well, for the time being, at least. He isn’t excited at the idea of coming back there already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like for Act I, I'll be taking a hiatus to let people catch up (and me too). This one will last one or two weeks, depending on how I feel about INA. If I don't update any new chapter by the 30th, know it's because the hiatus lasts for two weeks!  
> Thank you for keeping up with INA!


	26. New Place, New Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT III: Pantheon of Medicine - Chapter 1]  
> Tsumugi steps for the first time in exactly where she thought she'd never be able to enter. It feels quite weird.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't exactly thought I'd be gone for this long, but here we are. May have gotten into Ace Attorney and binged most of the franchise while I was away by accident. Hiiiiiiiii.  
> We're changing the update schedule/pace for the occasion, so you get all of Act III in one go! It's the least I can provide after being missing for so long lmao. It's a shame I was gone just as the story heated up too, so I want to catch up on that disaster for this exact reason too. Curse you, Act VI.  
> Anyway, here we are with a new adventure! Today, we get introduced to a buttload of new characters and explore the very inappropriately named Caduceus.

Even as she’s standing right in front of the massive, slick building, Tsumugi can’t believe what she’s seeing. She can, actually, believe even less how she’s supposed to have recently joined them: she debuted her career mere months ago and, ever since she saved Nanase from some sort of weird miniature bat swarm, the course it took was something she could have only predicted in her wildest fantasies.

She heard from Caduceus as this state-of-the-art institute. Founded in the 1980s and funded by both the government and the UN, yet independent, it has spearheaded researches in the field of medicine and health in general ever since, finding ways to treat what got deemed to be incurable. She, however, could have never imagined herself in the position she is about to occupy from now on. It just feels like it’s straight out of a dream… and she wishes someone could be there to share it with her, but all good things have a limit to how good they can get.

A voice calls out to her before she can slip into any state of daydreaming.

“Good morning, Doctor.”

Taken out of her thoughts, she spins around, only for her to face a very familiar face.

“I-Izumi?! What are you doing here?!”

He wears a smirk on his face. He must have foreseen she’d react like that, that fox…

“I recently got transferred to Caduceus, not unlike you.”

“Really?! That’s amazing! Of course someone with your level of competence would join Caduceus!”

“If you say so,” he replies with a dash of pink creeping on his cheeks. “Now, shall we get going? I recall us having an important meeting to attend to.”

“Let’s go!”

Their first stop isn’t in the lounge to meet their colleagues: instead, they first need to retrieve their new uniforms. She’s been told Caduceus has an actually lax dressing code, as she’s seen some doctors not wear theirs and instead resorting to just wearing their lab coat and badge on top of it; but she wouldn’t want to give the impression that they don’t care or that they felt forced to oblige. They’re here out of their own volition, aren’t they? At least, she knows she is. She’s certain Izumi also did.

Hers is a pink dressed-shaped one with Caduceus’ logo on a chest pocket and red lining, and it fits her like a charm. Despite how form-fitting it looks, it doesn’t feel constrictive, which she assumes is because they need to be able to operate even without having access to actual scrubs. Even then, it’s seeing both Izumi and her wear it (except is his blue and almost makes him look like a monk with how straight-cut it is) that she takes in that they really _are_ at Caduceus now. This is _real_.

Their second stop is straight into the director’s office. She should’ve figured that’d be the case: they’re newcomers, after all, and all she knows is that Dr Orikasa personally recommended them to said director. It’s only expected of them to pay the man a visit. She knocks on the door, then opens it slowly…

Is sitting at the desk a short, orange-haired man who looks bizarrely younger than her, staring at her with matching eyes and a smile. The desk itself is quite the mess to behold, covered in piles of paper – but she can’t let herself get nostalgic of her little cosy office at Kibou, now that she chose to be here and assist the medical world as much as she can. It reminds her of home, despite the drastically different aesthetics between Kibou and Caduceus.

What she can also immediately realize is that this man has nothing to do with what she expected to see from the director of the mighty, worldwide-shining Caduceus.

“I assume you’re the two Banri recommended to me, right?” He says, grinning brightly.

“Y-yes! I’m Takanashi Tsumugi and t-this is my assistant, Izumi Iori! I-it’s a pleasure to meet you! W-we’ll be in your t-trust!” She bows down at Mach speeds, almost banging her head on the nearby desk by doing so.

“I know, I know, I can read your badges you know! Oh well. It’s a pleasure to meet you too. My name’s Izumi Mitsuki and, as you may already know, I’m the director of Caduceus. Don’t be this nervous around me, though, it makes everyone uneasy!”

“Ah, huh… I’m sorry!”

Director Izumi laughs it off, his smile growing even wider. He really is nothing like how she pictured he’d be. On second thought, it’s better if he isn’t: she thought he’d be terrifying, not this welcoming and warm!

“Anyway! I’m very grateful for you to have accepted to join Caduceus. I’ve been told you had the Healing Touch like my old friend Banri!”

“Ban… Dr Ogami has the Healing Touch?!”

“What, he’s never told you? Tch, still as secretive as ever…” His surprised, then grumbling face goes back to a grin moments later. “I’m certain you’ll get along just fine with most of our staff! Well, except maybe Gaku because he’s grumpy, and Tamaki does tend to put people off sometimes… Nagi too, when I think about it… That’s not the point I’m trying to make, why am I even rambling like that?” His words’ pacing is indeed very fast, she’s not sure she can understand everything. “Anyway. Have any questions?”

“I don’t think so! Thank you for having us!”

“No problem! By the way, call me Mitsuki. I don’t really like being called “Director”, sounds too fancy if you ask me. Plus, if I’m not wrong, there’s already someone you call Izumi, no?”

Feeling prompted to do so, Tsumugi quickly spins to face her assistant, only to see her otherwise stoic assistant hiding his face with his hands, his cheeks dyed in crimson. He was a foot behind her, almost next to the door. How come? He’s usually so… calm! What in this conversation could be making him lose all of his composure like that? Maybe it’s not in the conversation…

“Izumi, is something wrong?” She asks, any thrill of dopamine suddenly coming to a halt.

“Don’t sound this worried, he’s just embarrassed!”

She just stares at the both of them, utterly confused as she switches on which one to focus on.

“By chance, do you know each other?”

“Of course we do! What about you tell your colleague, Iori?”

Eventually, Izumi reveals his face from behind his hands, revealing how flushed he really looks, completely covered by a thick layer of embarrassment. She’s almost relieved to know she got too worried.

“The director is… my brother,” he tells her, gulping down what has to be his pride.

“I… see,” she replies, feeling quite awkward about the whole deal, before a realization strikes over the head like surprise hail in the early spring. “Wait, how is that even possible? You look nothing alike!”

“Long story short: Iori got all of our parents’ flattering traits, I look like our grandma when she was younger.”

“I… see…”

Caduceus is a weirder place than she expected it to be. Not that she’s against the colourful ambiance this is promising to give her, far from it: her fears seem to have been unfounded.


	27. Casting Roll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT III: Pantheon of Medicine - Chapter 2]  
> Tsumugi and her brand new old assistant get introduced to way too many characters in one chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had to split this chapter from 3-1 to make way for Mitsuki's introduction, because the games loved not to dwell on the fact your new director is the twin brother of your mentor for some reason (and that's despite Sidney and Greg being damn near identical).   
> Instead, you get the rest of the squad here, including a most-likely-OOC Anesagi and everyone's favorite octolingual prince, who is a doctor now I guess.

Of course, now that they’re done meeting with their new director, who is now showing them around, Tsumugi and Izumi head straight for the lounge. Her poor assistant is still flushed all over from their meeting, and so is she to be frank. That was quite the plot twist, wasn’t it…

When they actually reach the place, to no surprise, it’s modern and shiny, brand new and almost blinding from how clean its floor and walls are: there isn’t even a single coffee stain next to the machine. If she wasn’t wearing her uniform, she’d absolutely feel out of place, although Izumi doesn’t seem too bothered by it. He’s either too busy trying to contain his embarrassment from their amusing meeting with their next director or used to the place. Come to think of it, if the director is his brother, then he may have been here before…

There’s someone drinking coffee in the room. He’s sporting the uniform too, except his has to be six sizes larger than hers because he’s a giant and she feels intimidated by their height difference, and is teal rather than pink. If Izumi being a head taller than her already made her a little uneasy at first, then she’s getting almost terrified by being next to someone who absolutely towers over her. However, and even if he’s a little smaller than she is, Director Mitsuki doesn’t seem intimidated by him at all.

To be fair, aside from his height, her colleague isn’t that scary looking. He has bright amber eyes that, despite their shape, look gently at his director, and his brown hair seems soft. He waves at them with a hearty smile.

“Are these our new recruits, Director?”

“Yep!” Mitsuki proudly claims with his hands on his hips. “I’ll let you guys introduce yourselves once everyone else has introduced themselves, that way, it’ll be quicker and handier for everyone!”

“I guess I’m the first one to do so, then,” the giant tells the director, before turning to the newbies. “I’m Tsunashi Ryuunosuke, but you can call me Ryuu!”

“He’s our head surgeon, but he doesn’t like to say it! It embarrasses him, apparently!”

“Please, Director…” He scratches the back of his head, sheepishly looking aside, blushing slightly before going back to facing them. “That aside, it’s a pleasure to meet you! I hope we’ll have a good time working alongside each other.”

“Pleasure to meet you too!” She quickly bows.

Shortly after, a pair of heels clack in their direction. A woman with long pink hair and dressed in the same pink uniform Tsumugi is wearing, with a lab coat worn over it. She seems to be a few years older than her too. Her gaze is intimidating, as if judging every fibre of their being.

“Oh, you must be the newbies,” she says with some sort of dejection in her voice. “I’m Anesagi Kaoru, anaesthesiologist.” However, her eyes sparkle in a weirder shine when they lock eyes. “Oh, but aren’t you both coming from Kibou? And I believe I’ve already seen that face”, (she points to Izumi), “somewhere, haven’t I?”

“I mean, Kaoru, you know there’s a picture of Iori on my desk, he isn’t exactly unknown to the crew…”

“That’s true. Well, I’m glad to meet you two.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you two, Dr Anesagi,” both of the new ones reply.

She looks more amused than anything else, which is probably a good thing.

“Don’t be this stiff, you two!”

“Kaoru may look scary, and you can blame that on her having been in police forces before” Mitsuki intervenes, “but she’s actually not too harsh if you work well.”

“Me, _scary_?! Have you _seen_ yourself when you’re angry?!”

Their director laughs it off.

“By the way, before you actually introduce yourselves, there are two others we’re waiting on. Gaku’s not here today, so you won’t see him until at least tomorrow rolls around, and that’s if he even gets out of his lab. Now, these two tend to be late, so it’s not exactly surprising they haven’t showed up yet.”

Anesagi then turns to Ryuu, asking him a question with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Do you think they will lighten our workload?”

“I sincerely doubt it… The list of patients keep growing.”

She sighs, “I should’ve expected that…”

“Do you get a lot of patients?” Tsumugi then asks.

“We do. The public isn’t aware of it yet, but we’re on the verge of a GUILT outbreak.”

“Well, at least, the Congress has unlocked more budget for us to work with. Ah, also, look at who finally decided to show up!”

At this very moment appear two new characters: a tall, blond man with blue eyes who wears a light green version of her uniform as she does, and an even taller, even more slender one with frost blue hair and matching eyes who dons the same outfit as Izumi.

“Sorry for being late,” the blond one replies in a thick accent, “we had paperwork to take care of!” She exchanges glances with him. “I assume this pretty lady and this young man are our new friends?”

“You’re as friendly as always, Nagi… Perhaps a bit too much,” Mitsuki reacts with an embarrassed chuckle, hands on his hips.

“I just don’t want to start on bad terms!” His words are laced with English accents. He must be a foreigner. “It’s an honour to meet the both of you! My name is Rokuya Nagi and I’m a general practitioner!”

“Huss,” the man behind him waves at them. “Name’s Yotsuba Tamaki. Call me Tamaki. I’m a nurse. Nice to meet’cha.”

“Now that everyone’s here, what about you two actually introduce yourselves?”

“Oh, sure thing!”

Tsumugi bows to everyone looking in her direction, ears gradually heating up.

“I’m Takanashi Tsumugi, and I’m a surgeon! It’s a real chance to meet all of you! We’ll be in your care!”

“I assume most people here know me already, but it doesn’t cost anything to reintroduce myself. I’m Izumi Iori and I’m a nurse too. Thank you for having us.”

“Iorin?!” Tamaki’s eyes suddenly sparkle, his previous boredom replaced with excitement.

“Oh, so you’re _that_ Yotsuba. It’s nice to see you again.”

“I thought we’d never see each other ever again, that’s so cool!”

As their new workmate goes to put his arm behind her assistant’s shoulders, a question pops in her head.

“Do you know each other?”

“Iorin and I went to med school together! He helped with my tests!”

“It was closer to me lending you my answers because you had personal issues to deal with at the time. I hope these got resolved, since then.”

“Well, speaking of that…” Tamaki’s face sulks before his phone rings, filling the lounge with the tune of the King Pudding advertisement jingle. “I need to get that call, sorry!”

He rushes out of the room, Izumi’s eyes trailing behind him. Her assistant’s expression gives her the idea that something is seriously wrong here.

“Anyway!” Mitsuki excitedly says, going to the both of them. “We still have a lot of paperwork to fill out before you guys do your first procedure on tomorrow, so we better get on with it now!”

“Roger that!”

They leave the lounge with the thrill of the promising future and the dread of what lurks in the dark.


	28. Rite of Passage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT III: Pantheon of Medicine - Chapter 3]  
> Tsumugi shows her new workmates what she's capable of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3-2 is such a boring episode in the original games that I almost forgot to post this chapter. This has to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever done about this story, to be honest.

Her pre-operation conference in Caduceus is much busier than any she’s ever had in Kibou. Instead of it just being Izumi and her, sometimes accompanied by Dr Orikasa if the situation called for it, there’s the director and three of her colleagues.

Presiding to the conference is Director Izumi who looks much more serious than yesterday. This sudden shift would give her backlash if Dr Orikasa hadn’t already been a little that way (heck, she probably is this way too). Instead, she’s relieved to know he’s as serious as such a position needs him to be, and that Izumi won’t be embarrassed any further by having to work in the same room as his own sibling. It can’t really be easy working with your own younger brother…

“Several GUILT victims are hospitalized here in Caduceus. Of course, we’d like to treat them ASAP, but we have yet to find a safe way to do so. We can currently only slow the damage down, I’m afraid. This is why I wanted to have you with us.”

“I had a lot of troubles operating on GUILT as well, when we suddenly got faced with it,” Tsumugi adds.

“However, we’re in a bit of luck here. This patient here has a very similar case of GUILT to the one you operated on before. I watched the footage of that, but I want the rest of Caduceus to have access to your methods, if that’s okay with you.

“Oh, of course, I don’t want anything more than being able to somehow teach that to other people so more lives can be saved in less time!”

“Best of lucks, Tsumugi!” Nagi tells her (he insisted on them being on a first-name basis. She should probably be more bothered over it than she currently is, but she’s really finding it hard to mind). “We’re all behind you!” He’s quite the cheerleader too.

“Blow us all away, Iorin,” Tamaki adds, prompting quite the piercing reply.

“Shut up and focus on the procedure, Yotsuba.”

Mitsuki clears his throat, interrupting the chatter, even if he’s having a little trouble not snickering at his brother’s remark. Brotherly bias, she’d guess.

“Now, now, everyone, we need to focus on the matter at hand! Dr Anesagi will handle the anaesthesia.”

“On it.”

Tamaki glances in their direction, a smirk on his face.

“Y’know, Mugi-chan, if you fail this op, Kaorun may never forgive you, and then she’ll never work with you ever again.”

“Tamaki, don’t say such things!” Nagi comments with a dramatically distressed expression on his face.

“Can it, Yotsuba,” Anesagi cuts through the air before looking back at her, her glare not letting down even as she switches interlocutors. “It’s a delicate procedure and there’s no room for mistake. Just try not to mess up anything.”

“Go… Got it…!”

They’re putting a lot of hope in her, aren’t they? Well now, she can’t disappoint them, so she better get into it and remember all she’s ever been taught and put all she’s experienced to good use!

After everyone else has left for the monitoring station with the exception of Nagi and Anesagi, Mitsuki resumes the dialogue, handing her the profile for today. The conference room is as bright and shiny as everything else, modern and cutting-edge. The emerald green linoleum floor looks fictional from how pristine it is.

“Time to start on the actual medical procedure, then. This patient is a GUILT victim who was brought in three days ago. He’s infected with a strand you’ve already operated on. Since it’s like removing a parasite, this shouldn’t be too much trouble for you. Your only objective is to remove the Kyriaki in the patient’s intestines. I’ll leave everything else in your hands, Tsumugi.”

“Yes, sir! Let’s begin the operation!”

The operation room is large, brightly lit. It follows the pattern of being as modern and cutting-edge as technically possible, to the point Tsumugi wonders yet again how in the world she possibly ended here. Then again, it’s not all that different, now that she’s getting used to the modernity of the premise: cutting into the patient’s lower abdomen rather than his chest aside, everything else about this procedure ringing familiar in a fairly dreadful way. Still, this somehow also not a bad thing: it means she knows what she’s doing. She won’t be taken aback as much as she was when operating on Nurse Nanase. 

“I assume you remember how to proceed from now on, Doctor,” Izumi says as he looks at the bowels they’re about to operate on. If you ever have some hesitation, however, feel free to ask me.”

“I should be all good, but thank you for the proposal anyway.”

“Understood.”

The procedure is exactly as the one she invented on the spot at Kibou: use the ultrasound, make an indent with the scalpel to make the thing get out from its hiding spot under the organic tissue, laser it to oblivion, heal the leftover lacerations. Repeat for two waves. And, just like last time, the last one to show up is the bigger, blue one. She figures it’s a mature specimen when the others are closer to larvae, but that’s besides the priorities at hand here. Do the same thing as the other, just three times, and it’s easier to target due to its size. It should all be good.

She’s a bit more concerned about where the name comes from. _Kyriaki_ , huh. It was the name featured on the letter Banri and Dr Orikasa showed her the other day, so it must come from there. It’s out of her hands, of course, but she’s nonetheless curious as to why it was picked to begin with by whomever sent that letter. Who’d name a disease after a day in another language? More over, the population doesn’t know about GUILT anyway, so it’s not even to make it sound innocuous…

“It’s over, Chiral reaction’s negative,” Mitsuki’s voice resonates from the monitoring station. “Great work, Tsumugi!”

Upon hearing that, she immediately starts closing the patient, but it’d seem like Izumi has something else to say; or, rather, something he needs to ask.

“…You were testing for chirality?”

“GUILT creates cells with an unnatural chirality. Thanks to a Chiron test, we can detect the specific wavelength these emit and diagnose if a patient has GUILT or not. It’s for now the only safe way to diagnose one, in fact. Remind me to give you the Chiron test equipment later!”

She puts on the bandage, not quite sure what all of this Chiron stuff is all about. She’ll understand sometime in the future, she guesses.

When they both exit the OR, they’re welcomed by all of the workmates that previously left the room.

“That was unbelievably smooth, great work!” Ryuu claps his hands together. “You really didn’t fail to your reputation, Tsumugi.”

“There’s improvement to be found in there, but it’s a fantastic beginning,” Anesagi adds right afterwards with a slight smile.

“It’s a miracle, a godsend! You’re an angel of surgery, Tsumugi!” Nagi squeals, almost not hyperbolic enough to send her into an embarrassed state.

“Heh, seems like times have changed a little,” Tamaki concludes while giving them a thumbs-up.


	29. Mortal Flaws

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT III: Pantheon of Medicine - Chapter 4]  
> Tsumugi learns about a very dark secret through an oddly determined Iori.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you didn't know, UTK/SO's 3-3 is one of the most infamous episodes of TC for how it dealt with its main subject matter: euthanasia. I tried treating it with much more respect than the games did, but I can't guarantee how well I did on that front. So, of course, content warning for discussions of euthanasia. You can skip this chapter if you're too uncomfortable with it, even if it means losing a bit of one character's development in this story. Your comfort before my storytelling.  
> That being said, I'm quite proud of this chapter.

Tsumugi doesn’t know what’s the weirdest at the moment: the fact Izumi knocked at her door to request an “intimate conversation” or the way he doesn’t quite make eye contact with her, no matter how much she tries making that happen.

“Doctor, can I ask for a favour?” He eventually asks with a hesitant voice.

“A… favour?”

“Could you please operate on Yotsuba’s little sister?”

“H-huh?!” She’s more than confused. “Wait a second, Izumi. What sister? Why should I operate on her? What you’re asking is oddly specific!”

“Let me explain, Doctor.”

“I’m all ears.”

After clearing his throat, Izumi begins his explanation.

_After recovering the Chiron test kits from his brother’s office and taking care of some more paperwork, Iori made his way to the lounge. On the way there, he got surprised to see Yotsuba on the phone with a contorted face and nothing short of a suspicious tone of voice coming from him._

“What do you mean by “suspicious”, Izumi?”

“To put it simply, Yotsuba usually speaks in a very lazy tone and with as little words as possible. I got intrigued because the tone he was using reminded much more of when he’d tell me about his problems at home.”

She doesn’t probe any further in the “home problems” department. This isn’t something she should shove her nose into.

_Intrigued, and perhaps a little concerned, Iori walked up to his med school comrade, only for him not to get noticed. Instead, he got to hear about chloride potassium and putting an end to someone’s misery. He didn’t need to hear much more of that sort of discussions to know where this was going. He ended for the call to come to a close, then finished walking up to the other nurse._

_“Yotsuba?”_

_“Iorin?!” His reaction was of sheer surprise, as expected. “Didn’t see hear ya comin. Scared the crap outta me.”_

_“Tell me, what was this conversation about euthanasia about?”_

_“…ain’t your business, Iorin.”_

_“I know that attitude of yours, Yotsuba. I’m not here to turn you in.”_

“ _Euthanasia_?!” Tsumugi yells a little too loud in horror. She heard about “death doctors” from time to time, but this is something else altogether.

“Yotsuba explained to me he did that in part to afford treatment for someone else. The other part, however, is why I want to ask you for a favour.”

“Go on, then.”

_“Wait, Iorin, can I show you something?”_

_Yotsuba sounded and looked oddly serious, even more so than he had when he had told him about his dire familial situations and how many hoops he had been jumping. The air around them was cold and heavy, almost smothering._

_“Sure thing.”_

_“Follow me, then.”_

_That said, they silently headed straight for the recovery ward on the other side of the building, eventually stopping in front of Room 305. Yotsuba knocked and got a weak reply that Iori almost didn’t hear from how soft-spoken it was. They both enter the room, only for his eyes to immediately lay on what must have been Yotsuba’s issue all along._

_“Hi, big bro…”_

_“Sup, Aya. How you doing?”_

_“Not so good…”_

_“Damn, that sucks, sorry for making you get up,” Yotsuba told before turning back to him. “Iorin, this is my sis, Aya. Been here for two years.” He turned back to her right after that. “Aya, this is Iorin, he’s an old pal. Be nice to him, kay?”_

_She nodded._

_Aya looked quite similar to Yotsuba in a few aspects. Their hair and eye colours were similar, with hers being darker. Judging from her cadaveric tone, the deep rings under her eyes and the slenderness of her body, he could easily tell she had been through hell, maybe even worse than that. To his surprise, however, was Dr Rokuya standing in the room near the bed, much more solemn than he had shown himself until that point._

_“You were examining her over, Nagicchi?” Yotsuba asks._

_“Yes. We never know when a relapse can happen.” The response was as serious as the expression had implied it’d be. “But there’s a little hope now, isn’t there?”_

_“Yeah,” he snickered back. “Also, Aya, have you been making your homework lately? You don’t wanna make people think you’re dumb like you big bro, right?”_

_“I have.”_

_“Good. I’d have to make you watch Magical Cocona with Nagicchi all week-long if you didn’t.”_

_Dr Rokuya wasn’t very pleased to hear about this threat. To be fair, it sounded more counterproductive than anything else._

_“Tamaki!!”_

_“What? You know Aya doesn’t like MagiCoco. Anyway, Aya, I gotta run now, I’ll see ya tomorrow!”_

_On that, they both left the room, leaving Dr Rokuya to resume whatever examination he was doing._

_Iori had a question that had burnt the tip of his tongue ever since entering the room._

_“Is she infected with GUILT?”_

_“Yeah. Her condition’s why I’m here.”_

_“You must be going through a lot, then. I can’t even… begin to imagine having my brother in a similar condition. That being said, I don’t like where this is going. Euthanasia, then wanting to introduce me to your sister… You’re planning on ending her life, aren’t you?”_

_He felt nauseous at the idea._

_“Listen, Iorin, I’ve got my reasons. I ain’t here to kill people for the fun of it.”_

_“Well then, I’m all ears.”_

_Yotsuba looked more serious than he had ever seen him be._

_“Remember that old prof we had in med school? The one who told me not to quit? Got diagnosed too late with cancer, only had a couple weeks to live in nothing but pain. He asked me to put an end to it. I accepted.”_

_“So you’re really planning on doing that to her, aren’t you?”_

_“I know she’d rather live. People’d rather live in general. But, if all there’s to life is just waiting to die, then, what’s the point? You just sticking around for others, ain’t you?”_

_“This isn’t wrong per say, but that’s not my point, I…”_

_“Maybe that’s naïve of me. You may be thinking it’s nothing short of murder that I’m doing. But, things are different. I don’t wanna see Aya gone, I just… want her to find relief. I don’t want to see her suffer any longer, Iorin. Don’t…” His voice cracked as tears started to dwell in his eyes. “Please don’t turn me in until I’ve done what I have to.”_

_They both stared at each other in a heavy silence, with one of them about to break down and the other standing there, fists in balls._

_“I understand where you’re coming from, Yotsuba. If my brother ever was in Aya’s situation, maybe I’ve even consider doing the same.” He took a deep breath. “But the thing is, as Dr Rokuya mentioned, there’s still hope for her.”_

_“You don’t get it! It’s been **two years**! Do you even know how long that is?!”_

_“I’ll admit that I don’t. But, Yotsuba, there’s one thing that’s new here, and that’s Dr Takanashi. I sincerely believe she can save your sister. Please, for both Aya and your sakes, let her operate on you’re her.”_

_His interlocutor didn’t seem that convinced. Still, after a few moments, his shoulders dropped._

_“…guess that, we can give it one last try.”_

_Iori put both his hands on his old comrade’s shoulders._

_“I promise she’ll do her everything. You can trust her.”_

By the time he finishes briefing her, Tsumugi is about to herself cry.

“That’s… That’s horrible…”

“So, please, Doctor… Can you operate on Yotsuba’s sister?”

“I will,” she immediately replies without a second of hesitation. “I will and I’ll save her. He can count on me.”

Izumi exhales a sigh of relief, then gives her a small smile.

“Thank you very much, Doctor.”

“It’s just a part of our mission, Izumi. Please schedule it for as early as possible. Best would be tomorrow.”

“Roger that.”

She silently promises to Aya that she’ll save her with her right hand on her chest, no matter what hoops she’ll have to jump through this time.


	30. Miracle How-To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT III: Pantheon of Medicine - Chapter 5]  
> Tsumugi and Iori try saving Aya from her demons, that is, GUILT.

Without a warning, Nagi slams the door to the staff room wide open, breathless and in a frantic state of panic.

“Aya’s condition is getting worse!! Her vitals are dropping, she’s losing consciousness!”

“What?!” Tamaki immediately yells back as he jumps out from his spot on the sofa.

“Everyone, prepare for immediate surgery!” Ryuu tells them as he rises from his seat. “Iori, bring the patient, we’ll all meet in the OR! Please make it quick!”

“Roger!”

They all speed ahead, but before she entirely leaves the room, Tsumugi stops in the doorframe, Izumi by her side. She looks directly at the other nurse who seems to hesitate on leaving the room.

“Tamaki?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve… I’ve discussed about Aya’s case with Dr Tsunashi and Rokuya after Izumi asked me to operate on her. I know her PET results are bad, that the GUILT infection is starting to spread from her respiratory system to her digestive tracks – but, please, I ask you to give me a chance. And, if even I fail, then…” She feels Izumi’s stare weigh on her shoulders. “…then you can put an end to it.”

“…okay.”

“Thank you, Tamaki. I promise you won’t regret it.”

When they’re all gathered in the OR, Tsumugi quickly notices something’s afoot.

“We… may not be able to operate, if the infection is spreading this quickly,” Ryuu states with a frown on his face.

“What about making it two procedures, then?”

“I’m afraid it won’t work, Tsumugi,” he replies. “If we don’t remove all GUILT tissue in one procedure, we’ll be back to square one. I’m afraid it may be impossible, as much as I don’t want it to be the case…”

“Izumi and I came to Caduceus to save lives. I promised Tamaki I’d save his sister’s, so I’ll make it a reality.”

“Do you have a trick up your sleeve, Tsumugi?” Nagi asks as he gazes at her with concern and curiosity all the same. He believes in that hope, isn’t he?

“Yes, and that’s my Healing Touch! Please give me a chance!”

“Tamaki?” Ryuu asks to the nurse standing nearby.

“Please… Please save my sis, Mugi-chan…”

She gives him another smile, taking his hands in hers, gently squeezing them.

“Thank you for your trust. We’ll save her life together, okay? You, Izumi, and me.”

He nods, a smirk finally making it onto his face, “huss!”

“Since all has been agreed upon, we can proceed. Dr Rokuya, Nurse Yotsuba, please brief Dr Takanashi on Deftera,” Ryuu ends the conversation sounding a little relieved, even if she can still sense a great deal of stress in his voice.

The pre-operation conference begins with the four of them around the patient profile.

“Deftera is basically a tumour,” Nagi begins.

“A real pain the ass,” Tamaki adds, much to Nagi’s shock at the familiarity of his words.

“It replicates its DNA as it moves through the body.”

“It _moves_?!” Tsumugi reacts in horror.

“Well, that’s not exactly it,” Nagi clarifies. “It copies itself to other locations, so it looks like it’s moving! It keeps copying DNA, and that’s how it gives off this impression. That’s what makes it so dangerous!”

“That’s horrible!” she comments.

“There are, however, good news! We recently discovered its weak point. There are actually two types of Deftera, Type A and Type B. If they meet each other, they start in-fighting but, since they’re of equal strength, they just end up exhausting themselves and immobilize in the process.”

“We can then drain their cytoplasm,” Izumi concludes.

“Well, all that’s kinda theory,” Tamaki chimes in. “If you mess up, you mess up big, there ain’t room for error. But, Iorin convinced me, I think you can get rid of it, Mugi-chan,. Please… save my sis. That’s all I ask. If you need me to do anything, I will.”

“No problem, Tamaki,” she tries replying with a comforting smile. “Our objective is to remove the GUILT tissue from the patient’s stomach and lungs. Izumi, are you ready?”

“When you are, Doctor.”

“Then, let’s not lose any more time. Let’s save Aya!”

The procedure starts with the tumours present in her stomach, so Tsumugi makes her incision there. As soon as they get there, they are greeted by four spots on the surface of the organ.

“These are GUILT tumours. They lack a cytoplasm, so lasering them should be enough,” Izumi mentions.

As always, her assistant’s words ring true: these don’t have a cytoplasm, so all she has to do is burning them and patch the hole left behind with a membrane and gel. And, just like always, he provides her with the tools she needs as soon as she requests them. This sense of doing business as usual provides her with undeniable comfort, but it must be even more the case for Tamaki: if Izumi and her show themselves as confident in what they’re doing, he’ll probably feel more at ease and believe in them even further.

Serious things start when two wing-shaped deformities, reminiscent of twisted twin angels, one red and one blue, show up before her eyes. These are the cells they’re searching for, aren’t they? All they now have to do is endure a bit of a patience game, wait for the opportunity to strike…

“Doctor, the Deftera cells have formed a tumour! Now’s our time to act!” Izumi tells her while handing her the drain.

“On it!”

This is a delicate, yet crucial step. When they collide, the Deftera cells create a lot of damage which she asks Izumi to take track of and to inject stabilizer as needed while she keeps track of the tumours creeping up on the organ. They can’t fail this operation, not after their numerous promises and the trust Tamaki put into their hands.

The cells dance around, then collide again, and so the process restarts. It takes her in total two more phases to get it done, after which their infighting goes out of control, tumours multiplying around the organ. She embraces the scalpel Izumi puts into her hands, then makes quick way of excising the cells out entirely. Once that’s done, and once she’s exhaled her first sigh of relief, she treats the rest of the wound, lasering the leftover tumours and patching everything up with gel and careful fingers.

“The first phase is over, Doctor. Let’s close this part and move onto the lungs,” Izumi states while he fills back his syringe of stabilizer.

Tsumugi picks up the sutures, then does her usual stitching and bandaging. In the corner of her eye, she spots Tamaki standing nervously, muttering to himself for Aya to endure and survive, for _Iorin_ and _Dr Mugi_ to save his sister.

“Doctor. We’re about to operate on a very sensitive zone, and the condition of the patient won’t allow for any mistakes,” Izumi continues.

“I know.”

He gives her a little smile again, then hands her the scalpel.

“Good. Please now perform a lobectomy.”

“On it.”

A rotten surprise awaits for them under Aya’s skin: they quickly face two pairs of Deftera cells, prompting her to gulp. It’s going to be much, much harder to deal with two pairs. While she doesn’t quite know what would happen if two cells of the same type collided, she can easily imagine it’d only be bad news.

“Doctor,” Izumi suddenly says as she’s anxiously staring at the morbid ball. “Try using antibiotic gel to attract two cells of different types to each other. I’ll monitor the vitals in the meantime.”

It doesn’t cost anything to try, so she nods and does as advised and, well… It’s no surprise, but it works well enough for her to viably exploit. She doesn’t know how he can always guess what she’s supposed to do next, but she’d lie if she said she wasn’t grateful for Izumi’s sharp eye and sharper mind to be by her side wherever she goes.

With the help of this knowledge, Tsumugi goes back to draining the four cells, careful to which ones are getting near which, while making sure Izumi keeps good track of the vitals. She occasionally lasers the tumours developing on the lung tissue so they don’t cause as much damage. It’s very stressful, and she gets annoyed whenever one cell goes to interrupting her draining process.

Still, she manages to deal with all of these elements at the same time. She gets scared when the vitals get too low to her taste, but Izumi never fails to notice her grimace whenever that happens and rises them in consequence. The first pair goes down and not without a fight, scaring her enough to make her squeeze her eyes shut in fear of potentially losing her patient – but she doesn’t, and the second pair instantly becomes easier to deal with.

Eventually, she drains the second pair to their frantic state, then excises that. The battle is almost won.

“Chiral reaction is negative. Please treat any leftover damage, then close the patient.”

In silence, she finishes her procedure following Izumi’s orders, then allows her to sigh in relief as she applies the bandage.

“She should have a smooth and painless recovery,” she states as she lets the patient be wheeled out of the room.

Outside the OR, now dressed back into their regular Caduceus uniforms, the both of them come across a crying, yet smiling Tamaki.

“Thank… Thank you so much, Mugi-chan, Iorin!!”

He jumps on them, clutching them against him. His voice trembles from how emotional he is, unable to pronounce a word without a stutter.

“We only did our job, Tamaki,” she replies, overwhelmed by the sudden affection.

He lets go of them, suddenly turning a little sadder. He now looks directly at Izumi, who seems to know exactly in which way their conversation is going to go. It doesn’t take her much longer to guess that either.

“Iorin. If you wanna turn me in, then do it. I’ll resign and go back to cashier jobs if that’s what it takes. I’m just… relieved Aya’s gonna be fine now.”

“Don’t resign, Yotsuba. The medical world needs you and so does Aya. Remain a nurse, stop euthanizing patients in the law’s back. I won’t turn you in for a desperate situation like that.”

“Heh, not fair. I won’t ever be able to repay you now.”

“It’s never been about payback, Yotsuba, only about lives and when they deserve to be ended,” Izumi adds with a smile.

Nagi rushes to them, rendering himself breathless again.

“ _Tamaki_ , there you are! I’ve been searching for you all around Caduceus!!”

“What’s up, Nagichi?”

“Aya is about to wake up!”

“You should go check on her, Tamaki!” Tsumugi tells him, a wide smile on her face.

“You don’t want to make her search for her big brother, don’t you?” Izumi adds, a sly smirk on his.

Their workmate’s cheeks grow red before he looks aside.

“…yeah, I should. Let’s go, Nagichi.”

She may be tired from the operation, but Tsumugi nonetheless watches them walk away, heart filled with happiness and relief all the same, to the point they twist and mix together inside her chest. As an only child, she can’t help but be a little envious, now that their pain has come to an end.

“The bond between siblings is a really powerful thing, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Izumi agrees. “Now, shall we get going? It has been a long day.”

“I’m not against a cup of tea or a nap either.”

“That’s a good thing, I need my cup of coffee too.”

She chuckles right as they get moving, headed for the staff room.

“You always match with me so perfectly, Izumi, that I’ll start thinking you’re doing it on purpose.”

“That’s nonsense.”

“If you say so, then,” she replies, only half-believing him.


	31. Crossroad of Minds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT III: Pantheon of Medicine - Chapter 6]  
> Tsumugi and Anesagi attend a conference on the behalf of Caduceus Japan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, it was one of the operation-less chapters of UTK/SO, so I had to shake it up a little. The OG 3-5 is, to put it simply, very short and empty in actual content to write about, so ya boi Fly had to surgically intervene on the chapter structure and steal some of 3-6 to put into 3-5.   
> Now, 3-6... it has more than enough to stand on its own legs, if you want my garbage opinion.

It’s already the second time Tsumugi finds herself in the director’s office. If she thought she hung way too often in Banri’s, then it’d seem like she’ll continue the tradition in Caduceus. Anyway, that’s not what matters at the moment.

“Director, did you call for me?”

“I did, yeah. Your operation from last time was _spectacular_! I’ve been watching it, you really are a spectacular surgeon, Tsumugi.”

“I see…” That’s a little embarrassing to hear, what glowing praise…

“Anyway, that’s not why I brought you here at all! Please take a seat, I’ll explain you real’ quick. You see, there’s an event I’d like you to attend.”

The door opens without a warning, almost slamming against the wall. The reason of this isn’t a sudden gust of wind, but rather, one of the few workmates she hasn’t seen yet: a tall, silver-haired man with rings under his grey eyes, wearing a dark blue Caduceus uniform with a coffee-stained lab coat over it. He directly shuffles to the desk without paying much attention to her whatsoever.

“Director, I need your signature on there.”

“Gaku, I’m in the middle of a _meeting_!”

“Yeah, and? It’ll only take you a second.” He sounds like quite the grumpy guy. “It’s that proposal we went over yesterday. There are no changes.”

“Give it to me, then, I’ll sign it for you.”

The man turns in her direction, lifting an eyebrow.

“Heh? Who’s the new chick?”

“Ah, right, you two haven’t met yet, did you?” Mitsuki asks her as he finishes signing the paper. “This is Takanashi Tsumugi, from Kibou. She’s been here for a week or so already. You should probs get out of our lab more often, just saying.”

He stares back at their director with an unhappy expression, but turns to her

“Oh, you’re that Healing Touch chick, then. I’m Yaotome Gaku, from R&D, but you can call me Gaku. How’s it going?”

He gives her a smile, so she can only give one back, can’t she?

“It’s going well! Nice to meet you.”

Mitsuki gives the paper back. “How’s that?”

“Looks good to me. See you.”

Gaku soon leaves the room, leaving her to face Mitsuki again. He sighs, then chuckles.

“Sorry for that. Gaku, despite being our head of research, doesn’t give half a crap to manners or anything in the like, I should’ve warned you. Now that he’s left, though, we can discuss the details of your trip.”

He puts on a serious face again.

“Our international conference will be held in the city next week. The main topic will be about bioterrorism. Of course, I’d like you, Dr Takanashi, to represent Caduceus Japan there as the surgeon who won against two GUILT strains. I’d also like you to speak about these strains and how to operate on them, step-by-step. Think you can do that?”

“I suppose so… I’m sure someone else could do it better than me, but I understand where you’re coming from.”

“We’ll be showing footage of your operations, so that’s why I want you to be there to explain. You’ll be accompanied by Kaoru, I’ll ask her to translate for you.” He winks at her. “Don’t forget to have fun there!” And then, he pretends to whisper something to her, clearly simulating. “By the way, if you need to find a way to make Kaoru happy… bring her on a shopping trip. Works every time.”

“I… I’ll keep that in mind, then,” she replies with an awkward chuckle in her throat.

The week goes by in a flash, leading her to soon be standing on the podium in the conference hall. She feels strangely vulnerable without Izumi by her side, even if Anesagi’s presence is a welcome warmth. In the past few days, they’ve had more than one occasion to bond over the conference and, from that, bond over other things. It turns out they’ve watched similar shows…

When her time to go on stage, Tsumugi is more nervous than she’s been for most of her life, crucial operations put aside, obviously. Commenting over footage of her own operations before the eyes of at least hundred people she doesn’t know at all is intimidating her. She does get through it without stuttering too badly: instead, some of her stress is relieved by how bright her colleague is under the lights of the conference, flawlessly and smoothly translating every word she says into English. She wishes she could be this charismatic, but it doesn’t seem to be in store for her at the moment.

The PR announcement she has waited for a little while finally rings to her ears.

“…Once again, that was Dr Takanashi speaking on behalf of Caduceus Japan.”

Both women bow, then leave the sage.

“I’m glad this is over!” Tsumugi sighs in relief as soon as she knows there’s no microphone in front of her mouth. “Thank you very much for your help, Dr Anesagi.”

“You’re welcome. The footage must have caught their attention. If I have to say something about, it’d be that you should’ve been less stiff back there. Aren’t used to big public speeches, are you?”

“I’m usually busy helping patients, so not really! It was my first presentation of the kind!”

“Well then, you’ve had quite the spectacular debut. A lot of doctors think like that, but if you don’t attend conferences, then you’ll be outdated. Even after you’ve finished residency, you still learn something.”

“Dr Orikasa would sometimes say that, sometimes telling me Izumi or I taught him something, sometimes by accident. I wonder how he’s doing now…”

They sit on their nominated seats when the PR voice comes back.

“This concludes the disease treatment workshop.”

“The next presentation is about to start,” Anesagi tells her before they both go quiet.

“Next, we’ll have an update on the fight against bioterrorism. Speaking on this topic is Lewis Miller, director of Caduceus USA.”

The announced character steps on stage. From where she stands, Tsumugi can make a couple observations on him: he looks middle-aged (around his fifties, she’d say, but without much confidence in her judgement) and has platinum blond hair, clear blue eyes and a little moustache. Unlike Mitsuki, who usually wears just a suit with his favourite orange tie (Izumi told her about that), he wears a suit with a couple military medals on the left and a Caduceus logo embroidered under them.

He clears his throat, then takes the microphone. Unlike her, he has a stern stance and a clear voice. She’s follow to the best of her abilities, but if she doesn’t understand something, she’ll have to ask Anesagi about it later.

“As we all know, bioterrorism poses a serious threat to all the world’s citizens. Reports of GUILT have doubled in the past six months alone. Unfortunately, the motivation behind this epidemic is still unknown. However, we have confirmation that the group responsible for it goes by the name of Delphi.”

“Delphi… Like the place where they did oracles?” Anesagi thinks out loud, a hand on her chin.

“The messages we’ve received from have been cryptic to say the least. Their philosophy and demands are still a mystery. Until now, we haven’t been able to link them to any other terrorist cell. For all we know, they could be nothing more than a fanatical cult. We however know that, whomever they are, they are organized and hostile. We believe there may be additional clues hidden in the strange letters that arrived shortly before each GUILT operation.”

Come to think of it, she doesn’t believe Tamaki has ever mentioned such a letter to either Izumi or her.

“Medicine has advanced quickly since the advent of genetical engineering but, as GUILT has shown us, disease can evolve just as quickly. The ramifications of bioterrorism are grave, and it is going to take the best of our minds to devise a way to stop it… although we may have finally found a lead to follow. We have received news of an abandoned Delphi research laboratory in Zimbabwe, where they seem to have entered a small village by posing as an NPO. We are afraid they were using the townspeople as GUILT subjects.”

Tsumugi sees in the corner of her eye Anesagi bite on her cosmetic nail, breaking it in the process, as she mutters something under her breath akin to “bastards”.

“The town was destroyed, and the facility has long since abandoned. We are however certain there’s something there that can lead us to Delphi. We propose that Caduceus send a research team to this village. Supplies and manpower would be approved by each division. We hope to have everyone’s sincere cooperation on the matter.”


	32. Keep Operating and Nobody Explodes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT III: Pantheon of Medicine - Chapter 7]  
> Tsumugi has to take care of a very special patient.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3-6 is the most infamous episode of all of TC. It's that one episode. It's the one where everyone has shat their pants at least once because it's ruthless and really comes out of nowhere. It's the Big Lip Alligator moment of TC. It's---  
> Anyway, yeah. Terrorist threats bad, anime surgeons good. I'll let the ones who don't know about TC discover what 3-6 is all about.

As soon as Director Miller is finished, and before Anesagi can finish sighing about having to write the report for these long speeches, the lights suddenly shut off. In a loud, sudden noise, Tsumugi immediately guesses this isn’t a mere technical issue: the curtain has been dropped on them and everyone is questioning it. They’re trapped in here and, judging by the surprised and panicked noises from the audience, this isn’t what was intended for their conference.

“What the hell is this?!” Anesagi screams as she turns on her phone, the bright light shining like a beacon in the dark. “Takanashi, stay near me!”

Panicked screams echo in the conference room sunk in shadows, rambling about a _bomb_. She doesn’t really understand the screams in languages she can’t identify, words that just sound like mishmashes of sonorities to her untrained ears. It sounds like the end of the world is soon or, at least, _hers_ is about to go off with a literal _bang_.

 _You doctors and your temporary cures are worthless!_ The PA speaker laughs like a mad animal. _If you all just die, maybe people could stop living unnatural lives!_

Then, complains, frantic screams about the lack of an exit, and that’s when it truly hits her: they’re trapped here with absolutely no way out of there.

A phone’s flashlight suddenly blinds her before the main lighting of the conference hall comes back, albeit dimmer. When her eyes finally adapt back again, she faces the angry scowl of her workmate. Anesagi picks up her hand, brings her downstairs, and point towards a piece of machinery with an accusatory finger.

“Takanashi, get ready, we’re dismantling that bomb.”

“Wait, what?! I’m a _surgeon_ , Dr Anesagi, I don’t know how to do that!”

“Do you want to explode with that bomb, then?!”

“N-no, but how are we even supposed to dismantle it ourselves?”

“Well, to our luck, I dated someone in the bomb squad during my police force days, so I somehow know how to do that. Now, get your tools ready – I know you surgeons bring them wherever you go –, we have a bomb to dismantle.”

Tsumugi doesn’t know what is threatening her the most: the bomb soon to explode right in front of her, or the piercing glare and menacing tone of her colleague urging her to get it together and do something she’s never learnt to.

“You don’t want to just cry and wait until we all die, do you?! Get yourself together! At least, even if it fails, we’ll have _tried_!”

“I… I’m ready,” she forces out of her throat, cold sweats flowing down her back.

Anesagi turns to the people that surround them, “give us some room, would you?! Set up a barricade with desks and tables! Everyone take cover!,” then back at her. “Takanashi, there’s no turning back now.”

Tsumugi kneels down to the bomb, putting her “roadside emergency surgery kit” right next to her. The thing is menacing: two cylinders, filled with presumably explosives, kept together by a metallic component. It’s indeed a time bomb, there’s no doubt to be had there… She’ll have to follow instructions very closely.

“A… Aren’t you scared, Dr Anesagi…?” She wonders out loud with a choking voice.

“Me, _scared_? Hah, I’m _terrified_! But then, tell me, why should a doctor like you or I be afraid? We’ve both been through worse than that. You have people’s lives in your hands, and if you make a mistake, they die right here and there, and it’s all _your_ fault. Sounds less scary than a bomb where your failure will see you lend in the afterlife, doesn’t it?”

“I… I suppose you’re right. Still, that’s so brave of you, Dr Anesagi!”

“They didn’t call me the “Iron Widow” for no reason back during my police force days, you know. I was stronger than most of my male companions there, I’d let you know!”

She expects Anesagi to look angry when she looks up, but she then sees her chuckling.

“We don’t have time to lose. Are you ready, Dr Takanashi?”

She gulps, but nonetheless swipes the sweat from her forehead and glances back at the… “patient”.

“Ye-yes… L-let’s begin… dismantling the bomb.”

As instructed, she stands by while awaiting orders.

“We’re going to have to unscrew the panel first. Do that with your scalpel.”

Well… Tsumugi sure has never heard about unscrewing things with such a tool, but you know what? They’re in direct danger of death, so may as well try. On the panel itself is a little sign that gives away in which direction she’s supposed to unscrew them (on second thought, that’s a dumb part on them, but to be fair, she’s trying to dismantle a bomb with a _scalpel_ ). She unscrews the bottom left and top right screws clockwise and the two other in the opposite direction. Once that’s said and done, she removes the panel and puts it next to her.

Inside the bomb itself is a core covered by a shield.

“They put in _that_?!” Anesagi yells in reaction, staring at the spinning circle of hexagon-shaped panels. “Listen. These panels can be destroyed with your laser. However, if you touch even for a fraction of a second one that’s lit up, we’re all _dead_ , so if you do that, I’ll snap you in half like a pen!”

“But, huh… They’re all lit up…”

“I’ve noticed that, thank you. We need to stabilize the voltage to a certain level to bypass that. Now, look at _that_.”

Anesagi points to an electric panel to the right of the sphere. On both of its sides are a series of little holes. In two of them are pins. She points out a line on the top of the counter, then to a spot much lower on it, right above a red zone that can only indicate danger.

“We’re aiming for that. Fiddle around with the pins, but not for long, until you find the right position to have them in.”

Picking up her forceps, Tsumugi can only let her instinct and deduction abilities guide her. She first tries to put the left pin in the top hole and the right one in the bottom hole, only for Anesagi to tell it’s too obvious. So, before she can insert the right pin, she instead goes for the third hole starting from the top, lending the line right in the zone where her colleague wants it to be. She sighs in relief.

“There we go. Now, use your laser to destroy the unlit panels, and the unlit panels only. Don’t blow us all up.”

“Ro… Roger…”

Tsumugi moves back to the sphere, watching the panels spin around for a moment or two before picking up her surgical laser. She’ll need to have her senses sharp and as rapid as they can be, so she forgets about everything around her and starts her work, sweat pearling down her temples. She needs to remind her hands not to tremble with a background thought. Her hand jumps from panel to panel, deadly afraid of the red glow that could send them all to the afterlife in seconds.

Towards the end, she has to stop at some points to breathe in some air, having forgotten to resume breathing. However, and after what feels like an eternity, no panels are left and she’s left with a weirdly-shaped blue thing that continues spinning nonetheless.

“That’s the core of the bomb,” Anesagi informs her. “Deactivate it with your laser, that way the bomb will be useless.”

Before she can get the time to find that to be a break, the core gets surrounded by two rapidly spinning rings of bright red panels.

“Oh _come on_!” Anesagi growls. “Aim for the core and nothing else! And _don’t mess up_!”

The pressure is starting to get to her head, so Tsumugi breathes in and draws the star of her mind for guidance. When she opens her eyes again, she finds a usable time window and doesn’t hesitate: she points her laser for what seems to be ages, then watches as the core explodes and the panels fall to the bottom of the deactivated bomb.

“Finally, we should be safe.”

Exhaling yet another sigh of relief, Tsumugi falls backward, dropping her laser as the lights go back to their regular state. Her head is spinning and she can’t feel her hands anymore, but she’s smiling nonetheless: everyone is saved.

“Hahaha, that was exhausting,” she chuckles as she looks at the ceiling, then the face of her workmate giving her a hand.

“Now, don’t roll on the ground like that, you’re going to bring shame to our name. Let’s tell everyone they’re safe now.”

Tsumugi picks up the hand, then helps herself back on her feet.

“We stopped the bomb everyone!” She yells across the room, earning themselves a series of thanks to the skies.

“Good job there,” her workmate tells her with a smile. “Definitely worth being at Caduceus.”

“Thank you, but I should be the one thank you, Dr Anesagi!”

As the audience cheers for her and celebrate being able to resume with their lives once the curtains will be fully back up, she spots the director of Caduceus USA glancing in her direction, then turning around. She can’t quite read what he whispers to himself.

Well, she’s probably not supposed to pry into someone’s more inwards words like that, so there’s no need for her to worry over that, is there?


	33. Messengers of Caduceus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT III: Pantheon of Medicine - Chapter 8]  
> Tsumugi, Mitsuki, and a proposition from Caduceus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3-7 is like 3-5: fairly dang empty, but also necessary to explain where the plot is going next. I tried to add onto it a little with conversations and such, but once more, I can't guarantee I did a fantastic job at it.  
> At least, you get more Kaoru and more Mitshooki.

Following the events of the bombing incident, now infamous in the media, Tsumugi got called into the director’s office yet again, this time with Anesagi rather than her assistant. At least, this time, it seems to only be about good news: the director is smiling, waiting for them to come in with a nervous tapping of his fingers on the desk.

“Ah, here you are, girls! Take a seat!”

They both follow through, sitting on the two chairs facing his.

“We received a letter from the conference’s directors. We were worried when we heard about the attack, but thankfully, you’re both safe and sound.”

“It’s all thanks to Dr Anesagi!”

When she glances at her workmate, Tsumugi can see her beaming to the compliment.

“Heh, quite the tough one, ain’t she? Maybe you can ask her about her police force days one of these days.”

“Don’t say that, she’s going to take it seriously!”

“I mean, if I were her, I’d take it seriously too, y’know! Ah, right, I’ve got something else to tell you.”

Mitsuki opens his drawer, then puts out a paper and gives it to her. He clears his throat, pumps up his chest, and reads the paper with the most exaggerated “serious tone” she has ever heard.

“Dr Takanashi, Caduceus International has requested your presence as part of the research team they’re gonna send to Africa.”

“W-wait, me?! That sounds like a mistake, you’re sure they didn’t ask for Ryuu?”

“Tch, don’t be modest, Tsumugi. We’ve all seen what you’re capable of! You’ve got experience dealing with GUILT and diffused a goddamn _bomb_!” (He forgot that was all thanks to Anesagi…). “Anyway, Lewis Miller of the American branch was impressed. Also, the rest of the committee, including me, voted unanimously. You should be proud.”

“W-well, o-okay, I see… but it’s just that, I’ve never left the country before…”

“You should give in already, Takanashi,” Anesagi tells her as she rises her head from her nails. “Mitsuki never loses a fight. Well, unless it’s with his brother, then he’s probably going to give in because his brother is somehow more stubborn than he is.”

“ _Kaoru_ …” Their director sounds a little offended at the precision.

“What?” She responds before turning back to her. “You’re going to Africa whether you want it or not, Takanashi. You can’t make the rules.”

“Well, all I had to say has been said, so you can both go back to your regular activities. Have a nice day!”

They both take their leave (but not before Tsumugi bows out of habit), then walk straight to the staff room.

“I didn’t realize Director Izumi could be this stubborn!”

“Apparently, he’s always been that way. He’s told us about some of the arguments he got into as a boy, then as a teenager. From what I’ve seen, only his brother can make him give in. These brothers must have been a _chore_ to raise.”

“And I thought Dr Orikasa was stubborn…!”

“You’ve been dealing with the smaller Izumi as your assistant, haven’t you? You should be used to that.”

“Ah, right, but… Izumi has helped me progress a lot as a surgeon, so it’s all fine. I know he just means the best for our patients, and for me too.”

Anesagi has a faint smile appear on her lips, which prompts Tsumugi to finally realize how sharp her workmate’s makeup always is, especially when hers is always kind of… there.

“At any rate, have fun in Africa. I’m glad I don’t have to go; you’re going to be more useful there than I’d be anyway.”

“Don’t say that, I’m sure you’d be useful to them in a different manner!”

“I appreciate the compliment, but let’s face it, a surgeon is usually more useful than an anaesthetist on the field. Now, it’s you, not me who’s going. As long as your partner is reliable, you’ll be just fine. Just don’t be as stiff as you were back there!”

“ _Partner_ , huh…”

They go their separate ways, as she needs to attend her next pre-operation conference soon. As she does, she watches her assistant head in the same direction as she does before she decides to walk up to him.

“Izumi, do you want a cup of coffee? I’m paying for it!” She asks.

“Doctor, it’s my turn today.”

“I survived a bombing attempt, I want to celebrate! Plus, I need to tell you a couple things.”

He snickers at her proposal, but nonetheless smiles.

“This isn’t fair, I can’t tell you no when you make such a cute face.”

Well, that was… unexpected.

“E-eh?!”

Izumi looks aside, immediately reddening.

“Never mind. Let’s get that coffee.”

“Yeah, let’s!”


	34. Sixth-Sky Surgery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT III: Pantheon of Medicine - Chapter 9]  
> Even when boarding a plane, Tsumugi and Iori can't catch a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know you can cut the patient with the ultrasound machine if you try using it when a turbulance happens?  
> Hahaha, not like that ever happened to me.  
> (it's happened to me.)

_Welcome aboard International Flight 326,_ the pilot announces on the microphone with what she supposes are usual plane greetings (does that phrasing even make sense?). They have quite a long time until they get to their destination, and quite the journey too, so they better get comfortable as much as they can. At least, Caduceus was able to afford them middle-class tickets.

Tsumugi had never heard about that “Wish Voyage” company before she got handed her ticket by Mitsuki, but it seems to be a fairly comfortable company. At least, the seats are comfortable and she isn’t too squeezed against her neighbour. They switched seats when he realized she was afraid of boarding a flight for the first time. Maybe getting to Zimbabwe, then to the abandoned village of Rubora, won’t be as painful as it could be!

“We have three transfers and thirty-three hours of total transfer time,” Izumi states as he stares at their plane tickets, giving one of them back to hers. “We need to remain together so we don’t get lost and miss our flights.”

“Yeah… You sound like you’re used to it, though!”

“I wouldn’t say _used_ to, but I’ve been on a plane a couple times when I went to study abroad.”

“Wait, you did?! Where?!” Realizing her question is unrelated, Tsumugi shakes her head and switches gears. “Do you have any advice to follow or something like that? You know, on top of getting vaccinated for endemic diseases…”

“Remember to drink plenty of fluids and get up periodically to stretch your legs. We don’t want to send you, a surgeon, to the hospital for blood clots. It’ll be hot in Africa too, so don’t try to get heat stroke.”

She’s very much unsure of what that little smirk of his mean: is he mocking her or trying to sound reassuring? Does Izumi even know himself, come to think of it?

The PA voice come back up, this time unprompted. Well, at least, that’s the impression she’s getting. She wouldn’t have guessed that if it wasn’t for Izumi frowning at the little jingle.

_Attention please. Is there a doctor? I repeat, are there any doctors on this flight? One of the passengers is sick and we don’t know how to treat him. If you have medical training, please notify a flight attendant!_

Without a shred of hesitation, and despite how cliché the situation is, she takes Izumi’s wrist in her hand. She brings them into the alley, ignoring the slightly trembling floor of the plane.

“I’m a surgeon and here’s my assistant nurse! We can do this!”

He follows without a word.

The following moments are quite the commotion. The hostess leads them to the crew’s cabin and provides them with sterilized gowns and operation tools. Why they have them, she doesn’t know, but she’s grateful for it. Izumi joins her soon after.

“It looks like respiratory failure. From what his wife explained, he’s been suffering from oedema of the lungs, for which he was on prescribed medication which stabilized his condition enough for them to be given permission to return home… only for the stress from travelling to cause his symptoms to worsen. I’d recommend an immediate lobectomy to drain the pleural fluids.”

“We really don’t have any other choice but to operate on a plane, do we?”

“I’m afraid we don’t. Once we’re landed, he’ll receive proper treatment. For now, Doctor, the objective is to secure the patient’s respiratory tract by draining the pleural fluid. Use the ultrasound to find it, then drain it.”

“Got it. Let’s hurry and begin the emergency operation!”

She’s about to proceed as usual, as she’s hastily prepared the patient (she truly just opened his shirt and hoped he wouldn’t wake up during the procedure, as they don’t have any anaesthetic nor patient gown in this cabin), when Izumi interrupts her with a quick hand wave.

“Doctor, before we start, there’s one thing you need to be aware of. Unfortunately, there’s a storm ahead of us that will cause our flight an undeniable amount of turbulence. Even if the pilot assured me he’d do everything in his power for the flight to remain as stable as possible, I urge you to proceed with the upmost caution and stop whenever the plane shakes.”

“Understood.”

Tsumugi goes forward with the operation and performs a lobectomy. By using the ultrasound, she reveals a darker spot. Her assistant stops her hands, then points the zone with his finger.

“This is a good area for drainage. Make an incision across the shadow.”

She cuts into it, causing liquid from leak from the hole.

“There’s a lot more fluid in there that there should be!” Izumi comments.

“I’ll drain even more of it than we thought we would, then.”

In order to be more efficient, Tsumugi switches gears and instead focuses on finding drainage spots, then incise and drain them all in one go. And, to her misfortune, as soon as she even goes to take her scalpel once she seems to have found most drainage spots, the plane violently shakes and she almost drops her tool in a screech.

They both take support on their impromptu operation table as she tries to stay up and he keeps the tray from falling to the floor. The wait is long – longer in her mind than in reality, she knows that –, but eventually, the plane stabilizes again, and she’s able to resume her surgical procedure.

Once the first shake has passed, the procedure becomes a little easier to handle. She can sense when the plane is going to shake next and stop just in time to avoid injuring her patient even further. It’s a bit tedious to go through, sure, but what in surgery doesn’t require precision, attention and an iron stability? That’s right, nothing does! That’s one thing Dr Orikasa would tell her whenever she just wanted to sigh and put her tools down.

The context is what makes this procedure so stressful. In a regular OR, she’d have been more confident than that in her chances of success. The circumstances couldn’t be further from that, however, so she swallows her want for comfort and carries on. Her hands barely miss dropping tools from time to time. She gets a little relieved when her assistant tells her she’s done at least half the drainage, only for the plane to shake for a moment again. It’s like it’s never going to really end.

Eventually, Izumi’s voice comes back up, and not without a sigh.

“The patient’s breathing has stabilized. You can now close him up.”

She sighs of relief as she shakily closes the man back up. They exchange an exhausted glance.

“I guess we did it…” He takes a deep breath, before his shoulders jump up a little. “Ah, the other passengers are applauding…”

His remark prompts her to turn around, only to see some of the people sitting in the place clap in their hands.

“Just don’t let it get to your head, Dr Takanashi. The toughest is still waiting for us.”

Tsumugi is more than relieved to soon be able to join back her seat and see the one next to hers fill too. She sighs against as she lies into it.

“I think he’s going to be okay…”

“The staff has taken care of contacting a hospital in Rubora to take him to.”

“Well, then, doctors really are on call twenty-four-seven, aren’t they? I really didn’t think we’d have to operate on a plane of all things!”

“It sounds straight out of a medical drama.”

She picks up her bag from under her seat, taking out her bunny-shaped sleeping mask.

“Exactly! Now, if you’ll excuse me, Izumi, I think I’m going to try and take a nap…”

“Shall I wake you up for when the next patient declares themselves?”

“Of course! I mentioned we were always available, didn’t I?” She chuckles at her own terrible sense of humour before putting on her mask once and for all. “Anyway, goodnight Izumi!”

“Goodnight, Doctor.”


	35. African Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT III: Pantheon of Medicine - Chapter 10]  
> Tsumugi and Iori get to Africa, meet new (or not-so-new) people, explore some stuff, probably discover messed-up crap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3-9 is one of these episodes whose existence I'd usually completely forget, but in the case of this fic, I had enough cool spins to put on it that I actually looked forward to writing and posting it. Say hello to not one, but *two* new characters everyone! (One of them is just from TC because I didn't find a good equivalent in I7 and its gosh darn limited cast).

After a plane ride that didn’t seem like it’d ever end, the two of them finally land in Africa. The road is, much to their displeasure (and she can tell Izumi is getting impatient by the nervous tapping of his fingers on his side of the truck), taking quite the long time, especially in the dry and dire heat.

The air is tense because, as it stands, she doesn’t know how to address the Caduceus USA staff who came to get them. The point she’s trying to make to herself is that she doesn’t know how to refer to these people and her English isn’t the best, there’s a reason why Anesagi was here to translate some of it for her during the aborted conference. Izumi’s better at this than her, but she also… may be doubting his diplomatic abilities, after what happened with Nanase.

Their car eventually stops and they’re invited to get down. The sky is clear, the air is fresh and the village they just arrived in is empty. She takes the chance to stretch out.

“We really are looking at the remnants of a GUILT outbreak,” Izumi comments.

Tsumugi looks around. Around them are deserted houses whose walls are about to crumble down into dust, the local fauna and flora taking back what once belonged to them, and a general sense of emptiness. The few crops that were here died long, long ago.

“You’re right, there’s nothing but ruin here…”

A sudden voice shoots through their conversation.

_Over here!_

They both turn her heads towards its source. While she instantly recognizes it and starts walking to it, Izumi sounds much more confused.

“Who is that? W-wait, Dr Takanashi, where are you going?!”

She stops in front of a known face and decorated suit, then bows to the blond man now in front of them.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Dr Takanashi!”

“Hello, Director Miller! It’s a pleasure to meet you too!” She then turns to her assistant, switching from her heavily accented English to Japanese. “Izumi, this is Lewis Miller, from Caduceus USA.”

“It’s an honour to meet you, then,” he bows down too, before the director both give them his hand to shake instead. Different cultures, huh.

“I was getting worried, as you’re both a little late. You see, one of our coordinators is sick, and we don’t exactly know where the research lab is. There’s been a lot to worry about. Moreover, we’re still waiting on your interpreter to arrive…”

A soldier suddenly comes their way, salutes his superior, and speaks up.

“Sir! I have an update! We searched sectors B-2 through 4, but could not locate the target.”

“In that case,” the director replies with a colder tone, “expand your search into the C areas as well.”

“Yes sir!”

On that, the soldier does his salute again, then leaves pronto. Director Miller turns back to them.

“The jungle makes a bird’s-eye search impossible. We tried narrowing it down back home, but we still have a lot of ground to cover.”

“It must be frustrating…” Tsumugi comments.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Izumi whispers to her.

“You may as well join the search. Report back if you find anything.” Director Miller gives them a large piece of paper that she has troubles opening up correctly, let alone hold in her hands in a way that makes sense. “Here’s a map of the area,” he points to several things, “we sent teams here, and… here.”

“What kind of map is this?” Tsumugi asks. “I can’t make out any landmarks…”

“It’s a military-style map, Doctor, it’s not designed for sight-seeing. We may as well get started now.”

“On it!”

Right as they’re about to split up, a cry in the distance prompts their entire trio to turn their head towards the horizon, only to notice a human shape coming towards them.

“Let me finally introduce you to your guide here,” Director Miller tells them as a fourth party joins them. “We figured you’d appreciate having a native Japanese speaker rather than one of our interpreters.”

Tsumugi freezes when she recognizes the features of the incoming silhouette. This black hair with frozen tips, these fuchsia eyes, that energic demeanour which nothing seems to be able to exhaust… Without a doubt, that’s _him_. That just has to be, but _how_?!

“M-Momo?!”

“Tsumugi, is that you?! It’s been such a long time!!”

He runs to her, picks her in his arms, and spins her around in a tight hug. When he puts her down, her head is still making circles, yet this doesn’t prevent her heart from feeling heavy with all sorts of happiness.

“How have you been doing all this time?! Yuki told me you finished your residency, but I didn’t think I’d ever see you wear a Caduceus uniform, even less in Zimbabwe!”

“A lot has happened in a very short amount of time. You’re on a humanitarian mission?”

“Yep!

“How come you know each other?” Izumi asks.

“Ah, right, I forgot to do introductions! Momo, this is Izumi Iori, my assistant nurse!” She spins around, having finally found her balance again. “Izumi, this is Sunohara Momosuke, my mentor’s husband! He’s often on humanitarian missions like this one!”

“A pleasure to meet you, Izumi! Yuki mentioned you a couple times in our calls but meeting you in person is something else!”

“The pleasure is mutual,” Izumi bows.

Director Miller clears his throat, bringing the attention back onto the topic at hand.

“Mr Sunohara, would you happen to know where an abandoned Delphi laboratory could be?”

“Hmm… I think I may have seen a very shady-looking building a couple times before, but it’s quite the distance away from us.”

“We should get going, then,” Miller concludes as they go back into the jeep.

They’re all squeezed inside the car for an hour, with the director and the soldier from earlier on the front seats, and the three of them glued against each other under the hot African sun on the backseats. In the meantime, Tsumugi and Momo catch up on what they’ve missed from each other’s lives due to their own busy schedules, telling each other stories. Izumi looks at the landscapes, fingers tapping against the jeep’s metal again.

“Ah, it’s that one!” Momo suddenly jumps as he points to an otherwise ordinary ruined house.

“You’re sure it’s this one?” She asks.

“Certain! A little boy named Reuben showed it to me the other day before I brought him back home. His brother worked there at some point, so he got to tag along.”

“It’s more of a lead than anything else we got so far. Let’s investigate it,” Miller orders.

The car stops right in front of the building and they all get off right after it ceases to move. It turns out the house is nothing but an empty shell hiding a staircase heading to some underground facility. Carefully, they all go down them, only to discover it really was the place they were searching for all along. Momo doesn’t look unproud of his hunch. Well, she knew he’d be right: his instincts have always been on-point.

“…As we thought,” Miller observes, “it’s completely vacant.”

The entire place has been abandoned it’d seem years ago: there is a thick layer of dust on everything around them, from the rusting trays left vacant to the ventilation pipes covered in webs and rot-looking vegetation. Weeds have started growing on the dirt ground while the glass shards breaking under her sneakers tell her the place either got abandoned violently, has become a local meeting spot and got vandalized in the process, or the holes over their heads were windows of some sort at some point.

“What exactly are we looking for?” Tsumugi asks the director.

“Unseen GUILT research documentation.”

She spots Izumi crouched on the ground and putting on gloves.

“Let me take samples from the walls and floor, just in case.”

“Thank you, young man.” Miller turns back to her. “We’ll need to undergo decontamination procedures after this, but hopefully we’ll find something to make it worthwhile…”

His gaze then lands on Momo, who is standing at the entrance of the laboratory.

“…I’m afraid this is no place for a civilian like you. Could you please wait for us outside, Mr Sunohara?”

“No problem! See y’all on the surface!”

On that, they start their investigation of the abandoned laboratory.


	36. Pandora's Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT III: Pantheon of Medicine - Chapter 11]  
> Tsumugi is in a bit of a surgical pickle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triti is the worst thing ever in this game, so I had great pleasure to just copy stuff from the LP I use as a main reference for INA because I can't for the life of me decipher how this stupid thing works and how to counter it. I just spam my Healing Touch at that point in the game, tbh. C-rank forever baby.  
> On another hand, as much as I hate this episode in the game, I loved writing its chapter equivalent for all its dramatic glory. Man, personal operations really are something else, aren't they?

When they get out of the laboratory, it feels like a big “all of this for nothing” moment for them all.

“After all that, we still haven’t learned much about Delphi,” Izumi comments with some unhidden dejection in his voice.

“The African GUILT victims are being transferred to Caduceus Europe, right? I hope that’ll lead to something!”

“They are,” Miller replies as they go back to Momo, who looks a bit too static to her liking.

When they walk up to him, his eyes are glassy and unfocused. His smile has disappeared, prompting her heart to sink. And, just as she’s making a list of all the things wrong with a dear friend, his eyes roll back in his skull, the grip of his fingers on his abdomen loosening as his figure collapses onto the dry ground.

“M-Momo?!”

Izumi puts his arm in front of her right as she’s about to step forward and catch her mentor’s loved one in her arms.

“Doctor, stay away! He’s most likely infected with GUILT!”

“Please do a Chiral test on him!” She immediately switches to another gear. “We’ll need to operate him immediately if he tests positive!”

Without sparing a minute, Tsumugi turns to Miller, her hands already on her belt’s pockets.

“Director, can we use Caduceus USA’s vehicle as an operation room?!”

“Go ahead, Dr Takanashi. We can’t lose any time!”, he replies before ordering two of the men standing near him to carry their patient to safety.

The ride to the truck is a bit longer than she’d have liked. To keep her mind from how desert the area around them is, she stares at Izumi who is frantically writing something down on his notepad. A quick glance at it reveals he’s trying to put together a patient profile while they’re stuck here with whatever they know of Momo… which is to say very little. She can see in his eyes and sharp scribbles Izumi’s frustration as he eyeballs height and weight. Through his notes, which include symptoms, they don’t need to hold a pre-operation conference. His silent words will suffice.

When they finally arrive to their destination, they immediately disinfect themselves as much as possible given the circumstances, then put on their scrubs and enter the miniature OR. She helplessly lets Izumi prepare their patient, to which he complies without a single comment. There’s no time for anything other than a quick Chiron test which reveals an unknown frequency. Today, they’ll fight an enemy they don’t quite know, it’d seem.

Director Miller, also dressed in scrubs, enters their little OR with a clipboard in his hands.

“Mr Sunohara’s results just came back.”

Izumi picks it up, quickly reads through it, then comments on it.

“He tested positive for GUILT. The spectral analysis indicate this is a different strain than what we have operated on already. We found an abnormality in his pancreas, but I’m afraid that’s all we have to go off from.”

“His vitals are dropping quickly. If we tried to reach the hospital, he’d probably die on the way. I think we should open him up and do what we can, but it’s your call, Dr Takanashi.”

“I know it must be hard to operate on someone you know, Doctor, but…”

Before Izumi can finish his sentence, she cuts him with a hand gesture.

“I’ll do it. I can’t just sit here and watch him die! I’ll do my best!”

“Let’s begin the operation, then.”

Taking a deep breath, she makes her incision, then finds out at the same time as everyone about the “abnormality in the pancreas” Izumi was mentioning earlier. He gives some breathless comments, face distorting in a mix between fright, horror, and tension.

“What the… These are membranes and… thorns?”

The sight is sickening to say the least. Are on her patient’s pancreas an ensemble of green membranes and blue, stone-like protuberances that her assistant just named “thorns”, not unlike a morbid puzzle. She wants to scream and know who was cruel enough to develop such a thing, especially if they tested it on innocent people. Momo didn’t deserve such a torture to be inflicted upon him. In fact, nobody does, but today, it just hits that much closer to home…

“What?” Miller seems even more shocked than Izumi. “Could they have known about…?”

“Known about what, Director?”

“Dr Takanashi, I think that membrane is responsible for the disease. An organ covered by that membrane will slowly get petrified. We need to detach it _immediately_.”

As soon as she hears these words, Tsumugi asks for the forceps, then lets her consciousness lead her. Remove the membrane, remove the danger, remove the issue at the root. Annihilate the harm and save a precious life.

“Hold on, Doctor,” Izumi’s voice comes to her ears like a slap to the wrist. “You won’t be able to detach it that way. Don’t you see the thorns? They’ve fastened the membrane to the organ. If you remove the three thorns on one segment of membrane, their excision should be possible.”

“What quick thinking, Nurse Izumi! You should consider looking into Caduceus USA.”

He side-eyed him with a glare before glancing back at her, immediately losing the dejected expression in the process.

“…Anyway, Doctor, please try pulling the thorns out with the forceps.”

Putting her trust in her assistant’s words like she usually does, Tsumugi removes three of the thorns with quick forceps manoeuvres, then pulls out the membrane and puts it on the tray. However, right as she’s about to find some hope in a stressful situation, she watches the membrane multiply and cover what she just cleaned even more. She muffles a yelp of frustration.

“The membrane is spreading; you can’t just grab at it haphazardly.”

“I see. Those thorns are causing the GUILT to spread.”

“They are? How can you tell?” She asks with more than a hint of frustration in her voice.

“A couple years ago, our country tried using similar technology to fight cancerous tissue; shards which vibrate at high frequencies to stabilize the cancer for easy removal. It creates a hardened membrane exactly like this one. This strain of GUILT seems to be modelled after our treatment.” She has never heard of this before – could this mean there’s a mole in Caduceus USA’s ranks? (Now’s _not_ the time to think of that, Tsumugi. Get yourself together). “The thorns are releasing high-frequency waves to essentially petrify the organs. Dr Takanashi, we need to try removing them all at once. There _must_ be some pattern to it.”

She doesn’t like the sound of that. She’s terrible at solving puzzles and this surgery seems to be the most twisted take on one humanity has ever possibly come up with so far.

“Doctor, I think I’ve figured out how to remove all of the membranes in as little steps as possible. Would you mind following my orders?”

At this very moment, and for what has to be the first time, Tsumugi rises her head to see her assistant as a solar figure shining upon her with a beacon of all of the knowledge she needs. He doesn’t smile, doesn’t bulge: he’s calm and stable, reassuring in his stoic stance.

She nods, “of course. Please guide me, Iori.”

He walks up to her side.

“From what I’ve gathered, this is how the propagation works. Let’s call each piece of membrane a triangle, as they’re all shaped like triangles and all have three corners. It seems like a triangle will multiply if there’s no other next to it, or if you just removed one.”

His voice is unbelievably calm. By the trembling of his hands on the edge of the operation table, she can tell he’s anxious too, but his tone is stable and reassuring. She isn’t the only one to have grown up since their early days…

“However, there are two restrictions to that multiplication. First, there needs to be room for a new triangle to grow. Second, both thorns on that side need to be intact. If we follow that functioning, we should be able to find a way to remove it efficiently and quickly on top of it. We’ll proceed in three steps. Please follow my lead, Doctor.”

She nods, then picks up her forceps yet again, and focuses her eyes on the scene and her ears on her assistant’s voice.

“First thing, we need to analyse the shapes of the triangles. There are three membranes on the top-left-hand corner and the nine membranes on the bottom right-hand corner. First, remove thorns, then membranes so we only have two groups of three triangles to take care of that are also not in contact. Don’t forget to remove the two bottom thorns on the second group so they can’t spread there.”

She pulls out the thorns, then the membranes he points out. On his advice, she injects stabilizer as they let thorns regenerate. Her hands feel a bit sticky, yet slippery at the same time. Anxiety is a weird state when mixed with determination.

“Then, we’ll remove all of the thorns. For the bottom row, remove from the bottom to the top. For the top row, remove the top one first, then the other two.” which she immediately does, only for one of the thorns to vaporize into toxic gas. “Quick, drain it before the patient’s vitals plummet!”

She quickly panics, her mind already coming up with several bad-end scenarios, but nonetheless manages to drain all of the gas. She then removes the entire bottom, then top rows’ thorns and, once she gets the hang of it, the vapours don’t scare her anymore, and she finds herself confidently removing GUILT tissue at a brisk pace.

“No wonder why the town was destroyed… It’s highly contagious,” Miller remarks.

“For the last step, just remove the membranes that are left. We’re almost done.”

On that, she pulls off the last triangles, puts them on the tray, and sighs. She sees her nurse look at the results on the nearby machinery, then turn to her.

“Chiral reaction is negative! You did it, Doctor!” Izumi congratulates her with a smile.

“Amazing! You _really_ can operate on GUILT!”

Tsumugi requests the sutures and, as she closes her friend up, she hears a conversation between the two other parties in the room. Her English is just enough to understand what the two men are saying.

“Sir. You said earlier you were surprised they knew about something you left very vague. If I may ask, what would this be?”

“I’m afraid this GUILT… was derived from one of my country’s attempt at finding a cure. As I said earlier, we were trying to create a remedy to cancer using high-frequency vibrations, but there were complications. Our treatment could unfortunately not differentiate between cancerous cells and healthy tissue, so it simply attacked both. We wanted a way to save people: we found a way to kill them instead. It’d seem like Delphi found out about these experiments. This is what I was referring to.”

Izumi then turns back to her, switching back to Japanese.

“Impressive work, Dr Takanashi. GUILT seems to be of no match to you. You’ve more than earned your place in Caduceus if you ask me.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Izumi. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you, you know,” she replies with a chuckle, then requests the bandage.

A couple hours of rest later, they find themselves _en route_ back to Caduceus USA’s camp. Momo has awoken, to her relief, but, well…

“Please don’t move!” She pleads as she pins her hands to his shoulders.

“C’mon, Tsumugi, y’know your Uncle Momo doesn’t like to be static!”

“It’s for your own good!”

The back of the truck moves a little too much for a patient who got recently operated on, but she can’t do much about it, can she?

“You may be sent to the USA for further treatment, or maybe Europe.”

“I don’t think so,” Izumi chimes in, “Or, at least, not for now. There’s a Red Cross outpost not too far away, they’ll prefer to make Mr Sunohara’s treatment local until the stitches are sure not to open again.”

“I told you to call me Momo…”

“Izumi doesn’t tend to call people by anything but their surnames…”

“You’re no fun!” Momo pouts, before his face lights up with surprise. “Oh, right, I forgot to give you guys something! Tsumugi, can you gimme my backpack?”

“Sure thing!”

She goes to pick up the bag from nearby, then hands it to him. He spends a bit searching for something, then gives her… a book?

“ _Cadeau_! That’s for saving my life. Well, I’d have given it to you anyway, Reuben gave it to me a couple days ago, but consider it as a gift to science!”

“What is it?”

“It’s a file folder,” Tsumugi replies as she opens it. “I can’t quite decipher it, but there’s one acronym I can read… But, read this part. It mentions in clear letters GUILT.”

Izumi looms over her shoulder.

“This seems to be written in the Greek alphabet, although I wouldn’t be able to tell you what any of this means.”

“Reuben gave it to me, so I assume his brother gave it to him first,” Momo chimes in.

“Thank you very much for handing this to us, Momo! I’m sure we’ll be able to save even more lives with it.”

“No prob! It’s a pleasure to help people.”

Izumi pulls up his phone, checks for something on it, then loses the tranquillity she was seeing on his face until now.

“Is there something wrong, Izumi?” She asks as soon as she notices, her pulse suddenly increasing.

“Dr Orikasa from Kibou Hospital just got admitted into Caduceus back in Japan.”

Both Momo and she slip into some sort of shock, looking at each other with worried, yet crazed eyes.

“ _Caduceus_?! Don’t tell me…”

“I’m afraid that… Dr Orikasa has been infected with a new strain of GUILT.”

And there goes all of their relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sikes, act IV is gonna be wack


	37. Godless Destination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [INTERMISSION ΓAMMA]  
> Yamato and Tie-Guy experience being pursued by paparazzi. It doesn't end prettily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the Yamato Intermissions are also back for this iteration, this time with everyone's fav Z-Episodes: that one time Naomi operated in the dark because some guy crashed his car into a wall.  
> I replayed this operation this morning and ngl it's a mega fun episode. It's also always mega fun to write Yamato and "Tie-Guy".

To a shitty day can only come a shitty ending, he supposes.

It’s like three in the morning and they’re still pursued in the outskirts of Santa Balboa by some crazed guy who infiltrated their usual rotting spot. Since, then, well… Tie-Guy’s been driving like a madman to escape from that guy whose face they didn’t even see. Yamato himself can’t distinguish much in this visual mush, but his driver is adamant on making sure this guy loses their tracks. It’s so dark out there that honestly an animal

“…He’s still following us. I thought we’d be able to lose him on his mountain road.”

“No shit. That guy came all the way from Japan, you really thought he’d wanna leave empty-handed?”

Tie-Guy sighs, exasperated.

“Drat reporters will do anything for a scoop. He probably wants to build his career on the remains of the “devil surgeon”. It isn’t often than the Japanese Medical Board expels a doctor for having magical powers of unknown sources. Or… maybe he wants to get under that lab coat of yours and start another kind altogether of rumours. I wouldn’t put that past such a man.”

Yamato feels like gagging over the idea.

“You’re fucking _disgusting_. Anyway, what makes you think that guy’s coming after me? Maybe he stumbled upon your organization. They’ve got a presence in Japan, don’t they? Considering all of your shady activities lately—” He gets cut before he can finish his sentence.

“If anybody had found out about us, I’d know. Speaking of which, the situation calls for a little more speed.”

“Are we even sure that guy’s a reporter? Could be working for the government, just saying.”

“The government wouldn’t be this obvious. It’s clear he has no idea of what he’s doing. I’ve had training, yet this… man will only get himself killed if he keeps driving like that.”

“Hey, look out instead of chatting, there’s a curve ahead!”

“I _know_ that!”

After the sharp turn almost makes him drop his phone, they hear a crash and see smoke.

“That idiot ran right into the wall!” Tie-Guy yells in realization.

“Go back,” Yamato tells him with a harsh, ordering voice.

“Please tell me you’re not thinking about saving him. It’s nothing but his responsibility if he dies out here – this has nothing to do with us.”

“And how do you think his trashy press will treat that story if he fucking dies?! I’m already deep enough into trouble that I don’t need some jerk’s death as a rotten cherry on top of the shit cake.”

“Tsk, doctors… This’d be a lot easier if you didn’t have a conscience. Just know we’re getting out of there asap if he’s already black-tagged.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Let’s do this.”

Yamato walks to the site of the crash, inside a tunnel whose lights . He finds the body of the man, puts a hand over a still-breathing nose, and realizes today’s series of unfortunate events isn’t over just yet, far from it.

“God, it’s so dark that I can’t see anything… We’ll need to get him in front of our headlights. Tie-Guy, help me pull him out of the wreckage.”

“I’ve already told you not to call me that. Moreover, this is no good.

“What’s your excuse, this time?”

“His leg is stuck.”

“Crap, you’re right. Guess I don’t have a choice then, I’ll have to treat him here.”

“Can you even do that?”

“Yeah, I guess, did worse shit on an operation table before anyway. By the way, if you’ve got any suggestions to get some light in that dark tunnel of ours, I’m all ears.”

“The crash has shorted out the tunnel’s electrical system, so you won’t be able to count on that. And, with him on this side of the crash, my headlights won’t help.”

“Oh well, I’ve got some penlight on me, that should do it.”

“A _penlight_?! You possibly can’t be serious, Dr Nikaido…”

“Nah, I’m entirely serious – and you’re gonna be a good boy, get the tools in the car, and hold that damn penlight for me. Just shine it where I tell you to, ’kay? Won’t be hard, I promise” He then glances at the state of the guy, quickly looking over the disaster. “Most of the trauma’s…,” he points some things out with penlight, “there. I also don’t like the looks of his abdomen.” He sighs, then puts out gloves he just happened to have him (working for these guys just made him that much more suspicious in his everyday life). “On tonight’s menu are foreign object extraction and laceration suturing. I can’t do much more than that. May as well get started, take that penlight.”

He throws his precious ray of not-sunshine (he’d rather have some moonshine right now, if he’s honest…) at Tie-Guy, then gets to work.

Yamato first asks the light to be shone on a couple lacerations on the right of the operation site. He quickly sutures them, then takes care of a larger gash on the bottom of the area with some drain and forceps moves on top of the usual formula. He then does quick work of a glass shard stuck in the patient’s flesh, not forgetting to apply miraculous gel after he’s done. However, and to his chagrin, the guy’s vitals aren’t stabilizing, so… there’s only one thing left to do, in that case.

“We now need to know what the hell happened with his abdomen. Shine the light here, I’m going to open him up.”

Tie-Guy only sighs, not answering with actual words, and does as he’s told. Some gel, some scalpel, and the trick is done.

“Okay, just like before, you just hold the light as steadily as possible while I do all the dirty work, ’kay?”

The left lung presents a similar set of injuries, but the issue lies with the vitals: they are way too low and the stabilizer isn’t enough. Now’s a better time than any to reunite again with the star of his dreams and nightmares (but mostly of his nightmares, for instance, the one he’s been stuck in for a year already), he supposes…

Once that’s done, the process is nothing but streamlined: suture the lacerations, close the gash with the forceps before stitching it shut, extract yet another glass shard (how it got there, he’s too tired to think about). And yet, even with all that done, the vitals still aren’t stabilizing. God, maybe operating on this guy was a garbage idea. Okay, time to move on to the right lung…

And then, pitch-black darkness.

“Hey, the fuck you’re doing?! I need that light!”

“I didn’t… It wasn’t me!” Tie-Guy (presumably) looks over the pen. “I think the batteries may have died.”

“Of course that’d happen _now_ of all times…”

“I knew this was a bad idea – we need to leave, _now_.”

“Hey, you’ve got a phone, right? Use that as a light, that’ll do the trick.” “Actually, my professional phone is an old model that doesn’t have a flashlight nor camera.”

“And _of course_ I happen to be stuck with the _one guy_ in the whole United States who has an old brick for a phone! My hands are full of blood, so it ain’t like I can lend you mine. Find something around, will ya?”

Tie-Guy quickly puts his hand on something.

“What about this?” He asks as he points something at him. With the darkness and only the nearby lights and the moon to provide him with a semblance of sight, he can still distinguish what it is.

“A camera, huh? Right, that thing’s gotta have a flash! That bastard’s lucky he’s a reporter. Take a pic!”

The flash illuminates the entire area for a second or so, allowing him to memorize as much as possible. It’s the same thing as before anyway: lacerations, deep gash, glass shard. The guy didn’t even have any original injury he’d have been able to reminisce about someday while he’ll be behind bars. Everything about this sucks… and even then, it manages to get on his nerves even further by making fun of him.

“…and now that I finished this entire procedure in the dark, the lights turn back up again, huh? You’ve gotta be kidding me. Anyway…”

At least, it makes making his last stitches and applying the bandage easier. That’s already something, probably.

“Please let this shitshow be my first and last operation in the dark…” He grumbles as he gets up. “He’s stable enough, call for a rescue team. Also, lend me the camera, we can’t have these guys possibly see some surgery footage.”

“On it.”

They walk back to the car while Tie-Guy is on the phone. Once he’s done with his call, they stop on front of their vehicle.

“Actually, on second thought, you weren’t half-bad as an assistant. Ever thought about becoming a nurse once you’re done being a criminal?”

Tie-Guy doesn’t seem to appreciate the compliment. His face looks like he just got lemon juice squeezed at it.

“I don’t intend on making a habit of it, so scratch that idea out. Let’s get out of here now, the last thing we need right now is to play twelve questions.”

“Agreed, today’s been long enough as is.” Then, looking at the wheel, a thought pops inside his mind. “Actually, lemme drive. I’m suddenly in a better mood.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is where this big-ass update stops. I don't know yet when Act IV is gonna be posted, but I hope to have it published by at least the end of this month. I may try to have updates like this one every two weeks, since I'm almost done (I only have Acts IV and VII to write, and the latter is fairly advanced).  
> On that, until next time! Thank you for taking the time to read INA.


	38. One of Our Own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT IV: Synthetic Plague - Chapter 1]  
> Tsumugi's comeback to Japan is a disastrous, stressful one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not be tired of having INA hang around my files unfinished and unpublished, so, for the end of 2020, I decided to post each week one of the last four acts.   
> Act IV is of course based on UTK/SO's 4th chapter and was one of the funniest Acts to write so far. I love the original's and it was a blast to try and make my own version of it. I'll let you guess as to why as you read this chapter.

As soon as the plane lands, the one thing that fills Tsumugi’s mind to the brim is still the one she had in Africa. It occupies her thoughts to the point Izumi has to take care of the technicalities while she bits her thumb in anxiety, wondering how bad it could have gotten, hoping he’s still alive. The Plane Mode icon on her phone seems to be laughing at her, now…

They board a taxi back to Caduceus in complete silence. Neither of them say anything: she’s busy furiously refreshing her emails, he looks through the window, fingers tapping the area near the button to open it. When they arrive, the first thing to come to her, almost like a reflex, is to rush to their director’s office. Her hands slam the door wide open without waiting for a response to come in while Izumi barely has time to follow her, running on her heels.

“How is Dr Orikasa’s condition?!” She screams, not taking any time to breathe before her question is launched into the air.

The director’s face darkens, his eyebrows frowning, biting his lip.

“He’s alive, but he’s considerably weakened. I’m… not even sure if he can survive an operation, in that state.”

“Can… can I see him?”

“Go for it.”

Without thinking twice, she leaves the room, running again. However, before she’s too far, she faintly hears a last bit of conversation…

“…I’m going with Dr Takanashi.”

“You’re worried for her, ain’t ya, Iori?”

“I’m concerned for the condition of the patient she’s about to visit.”

On that, she hears her assistant follow her, not thinking much of his words.

The vision that awaits her in the Room 305 is nothing short of a nightmarish sight: her mentor is lying in bed, almost pale as a corpse, lying on his back with Tamaki’s eyes avoiding direct contact as much as possible. In fact, when she enters the room with Izumi at her side, she’s only greeted by a weak hello and Tamaki exiting the room to have a conversation in private, bowing to her as he does so.

“…should I do the same as Yotsuba and leave too?”

“No, it’s fine, Iori. You can stay.”

Tsumugi sits on the chair, tempted to put a comforting hand on her mentor’s hand, her assistant standing right behind her.

“…good to see you, Tsumugi.”

She doesn’t find anything to reply with, barely able to look at him. His unfocused eyes and distinctively weakened voice are just wrong, so wrong to look at.

“Momo told me the other day… about you saving him… Thank you very much for saving my oddball of a husband…”

“You… You’re welcome, Dr Orikasa, but I only did my job.”

He sighs, a pained smirk on his face. His fingers under hers feel skeletal, as if there was nothing skin over his bones. The usual on-point green manicure and smoothness of his hands has vanished: all she can touch at the moment is dry and kept to a non-existent care routine.

“I should’ve been suspicious when I couldn’t diagnose myself… I would’ve never guessed it was GUILT…”

“Have they identified the strain?” Izumi asks.

“I heard Mitsuki and the others mention it was an unidentified strain, so… be careful, you two.”

A knock on the door, then an entrance that doesn’t wait for an approval. Speaking of the wolf, here comes their director. While he’s far less happy-going than usual, rings sketching themselves under his eyes, he still has the semblance of a closed-lip smile on his face.

“Yuki, we’ve received detailed information on this specific GUILT.”

“From where?”

“These two just got back from Africa. Well, to be more specific, they come back from an abandoned Delphi facility.”

Tsumugi suddenly realizes she’s heard about this one before, then remembers what could have been Caduceus’s entry point.

“Is that the file Momo gave us?”

“Momo gave you a file? Well, of course he did, this man always finds the right things at the right time…”

“Gaku’s currently analysing the data. We think it may help us devise a treatment, so… Don’t give up, Yuki!”

“Why would I? I believe in Caduceus. That’s why I wanted Tsumugi to join you…”

“Ah, Dr Orikasa, I…”

He gives her a smile.

“Keep working hard, okay?”

“…I will.”

Sooner than later, Tsumugi and Izumi are back in their director’s office. He seems a little more positive than back in the surgical ward, even if it has little to do with his usual energy.

“Results arrived from the lab. They’ve settled on a theorical cure. Gaku’s report says they can create a serum to eliminate the GUILT.”

“There’s hope, then?” She asks in a timid voice.

“Most likely, but we don’t have enough antigen samples to finish the serum.”

“You don’t?”

Oh no, this is terrible news. If they can’t finish the serum, that means… No, she shouldn’t be thinking about that! You should believe in Caduceus, like Dr Orikasa does!

“While you were in Africa, there was a highly-toxic GUILT outbreak here. Yuki was infected while treating on the victim. In theory, we can extract samples from untreated GUILT patients. As long as their infections haven’t progressed to full term, we can just remove the GUILT. We’ve compiled a list of patients with matching symptoms. Tsumugi, we need you to operate on them in order to obtain the necessary samples.”

“So we’ll be travelling to hospitals where the victims are being observed, then?”

“Yes, exactly. Once we’ll have enough antigen, we’ll be able to engineer the serum. Good luck to the both of you!”

“You can count on us, sir!”

They both bow to him and are about to leave when Mitsuki’s voice comes up again.

“Ah, Tsumugi, one last thing before you go.”

“Hm?”

“I know how much Yuki matters to you, so… Don’t overdo it, okay? Please keep an eye on her, Iori!”

His brother bows.

“You can count on me.”

On that, they take their leave, disappearing into the dead of the night and never coming back.


	39. Find the Cure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT IV: Synthetic Plague - Chapter 2]  
> Tsumugi, Iori, and the new GUILT on the block.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4-2 is such a weird episode to "novelize". It can have a whole lot of different operations depending on what you fail to finish in time, essentially, and it's the same operation at least 3 times - not very fascinating to read, especially since I'm terrible at writing operations.   
> Tetarti's a fun one, though.

Their plan of action has been clearly stated: they have to operate on three to five patients, depending on how fast or not they find their three antigen types. They also happen to drive around the city in a special vehicle, not unlike the one they had in Africa, so they can operate outside the hospital and avoid causing another outbreak (as if one weren’t enough already).

Their first stop in the suburbs, where the patient has already been prepared for their arrival, all thanks to Izumi’s planning abilities and his call beforehand. Caduceus is the one to have imposed the separate operation building: they don’t know if this strain (whose name is Tetarti according to the file they got from Momo) can spread through physical contact, and in such conditions, you’ll absolutely be better safe than sorry. They won’t leave their protective gear today.

As they get ready for surgery, Izumi requests for them to go over their guidelines again.

“Since the patient has been transported, our protective area is now sealed. I’ll now explain how Director Izumi requested us that we obtain the samples. These patients have all tested positive for GUILT. However, the specimens inside of them are still in an immature state of development, thus why we can merely extract them out of the patients’ systems. As such, the serum we got provided with should completely incapacitate them. To make it sort, Doctor, here’s the procedure: first locate the GUILT, then inject the serum into it to stop it. After that, place it in the tray and slice it open.”

“Wait, I need to _slice it open_? Now _that’s_ something I’ve never had to do before during a procedure, that’s for sure…”

“You heard me right. We need the GUILT’s internal fluids to replicate its antigen, nothing other than that. After you’ll have drained it, the operation will be over and the patient cured. Your only objective for this operation is to use the serum and obtain the GUILT’s fluids.”

“Let’s not lose any time then. Begin the operation!”

Operating on Momo made the two of them a little used to working in a restricted area, so they’re closer than usual (which she’d have most likely minded a couple months ago, but today, she just finds it reassuring to have such a trustworthy ally by her side, close enough to be grabbed with a fortunate hand if something is to go wrong). The first procedure of today is on the patient’s liver, so she makes her incision and quickly proceeds from then on. There’s no time to lose!

They get greeted by a sort of white, wing-legged creature who waddles over the organ in a chaotic fashion. It looks to be immature, which makes sense: they’ve been tasked to operate on early cases. The main issue there is that the larva itself won’t give them time: it exudes toxic gas wherever it goes.

“Inject it with the serum to slow its activity,” Izumi tells her as his eyes follow the creature around.

The thing moves quite erratically, so she spends a moment readying her syringe, then pinpoint a time where it’ll stop so she can stab it with the serum. Once she does, however, it hides right back into the organ. This is reminding her of something…

“I suspect this strain works in a similar way to Kyriaki, so try finding it with the ultrasound, then make an incision to force it out of its hiding spot.”

When she passes the ultrasound over, a visible gas leak tells her exactly where to hit, so she executes the order and goes to inject it with the serum again. She repeats the entire process a third time, after which the creature finally stops moving. She pinches it with her forceps, then puts it on the tray handed to her.

“Now, slice the GUILT, then suck out its internal fluids. I have a special vial connected and ready to go for that purpose.”

When she does, a bright, toxic-looking purple fluid pulses through the transparent pipe, leaving her to wonder how in the world someone could have even had the idea to invent such a weapon, let alone push through enough research to get it to be a dangerous parasite.

“A GUILT that creates toxic substances… How can someone create such a thing?” She wonders out loud as she finishes the procedure with a bandage. “I just hope Dr Orikasa is alright…”

They exit the truck for a breather before their next procedure, looking over the suburbs back in their regular uniforms. There is no point in risking people’s lives if they can have their scrubs discarded or, at least, disinfected in the meantime.

“Do you think I… did it correctly? I’ve never had to do such a precise thing before, so I’m not sure if I did the right thing…”

“There’s no reason why you should be doubting that, Doctor, you did everything perfectly. I sent a composition of our sample to Caduceus so they could determine which type it is between P, H and V.”

“Good thinking, Iori! I wonder what type it is.”

He seems surprised to hear that, instantly ducking back to his phone with a hint of a blush on his cheeks. He spends a few seconds on it, which she watches him do.

“Ah, we have our answer,” he suddenly tells her. “It looks like this is the V-type antigen. Let’s move onto the next patients, we still have two other types to find.”

“Roger!”

As soon as they get back inside the truck, they continue their tour of the city, stopping in three different spots to recover more antigen samples. Two patients have Tetarti in their stomach, while another have the GUILT located in his liver again. To their dismay, they get two repeats, one V-type and two P-types, which shows up as green when she drains it. Oh well, it’s a minor dismay: as much as they are in a hurry, they can’t forget they’re meant to save everyone’s lives first and foremost, so the more people they cure, the better.

Their last destination is a little clinic located on the city walk. Tsumugi gets shivers when she realizes this is the place where she was crying after almost failing a patient, but this time, Iori doesn’t stare at her in disdain. Rather, he puts a hand on her shoulder, tells her they’re going to save Dr Orikasa, and advise her to get prepped soon. She doesn’t tell him the real reason why she’s suddenly so antsy, feeling remorse and shame, and instead, shakes her head and follows him to the OR.

The last operation is their only safe way to get the H-type antigen they absolutely need, so she focuses even harder on this one. Following the same process as before, not letting her hand tremble for even a second, she injects serum and cuts where she needs to do with a glacial, laser-like focus. She doesn’t quite enter a Healing Touch state but gets damn near it.

In consequence, she thinks she’s ready for everything. While doing the same thing four times before would have usually prepared her for any future occurrence, this is GUILT she’s operating on, and so it doesn’t play by the rules. This much she realizes when, under her nose, right as she thinks all she has to do is finish the third phase and complete their mission, the larva starts to erratically move around, spewing toxic gases and going too fast for her to ensure a safe serum injection.

“What in the…” Iori reacts in a similar way to her. “Doctor, quick, use the antibiotic gel before it can do too much damage!”

She’s not sure how he came up with the idea, but she may as well follow his lead. He has yet to be wrong about something, after all. And, just like all the times like these before, she was right to trust him: the larva slows down and eventually dies out, prompting her to sigh in relief as she picks up the thing, then slices it open to extract its fluids. They’re of a bright, sulphuric yellow.

“Operation complete, Doctor. Excellent work as always.”

“And, as always, it wouldn’t have been possible without you, Izumi!”

Now with a brief of relief, she watches her assistant send the composition of their sample back to Caduceus. They spend a couple minutes in silence reading over text messages now that they’re off their scrubs for the day, profiting from the fresh air before leaving one last time for Caduceus. That’s when she notices his eyes grow a bit wider, then glancing at her.

“What do they say?”

“It’s the H-type antigen!”

With a smile and dopamine suddenly energizing her again, Tsumugi throws her fist in the air.

“We’ve got all three! Let’s get back to Caduceus!”


	40. Year Inside, Hour Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT IV: Synthetic Plague - Chapter 3]  
> Time perception can be a treacherous thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something something "no operation episode I had to lengthen".  
> Crumbs amirite?

Tsumugi and Izumi find themselves in the director’s office for the third time in two days. Nothing tells them this is any better than what it was yesterday: she knows her mentor’s condition can’t have improved much despite the fight he’s putting against GUILT. She’s fiddling with the hands she’s got in her back again, visibly frustrating her assistant who side-eyes them from time to time.

Their director looks as optimistic he did yesterday, but that’s where the extent of possible positive remarks she can make. Mitsuki has been restless ever since they both came back from Africa, rings deepening under his eyes with each passing day, or so it’d seem. Not that she can tell for sure, since neither Izumi nor her was here for a week or so, but judging by the concern her brother has for him, she wouldn’t doubt it.

For once, however, they’re accompanied, as they’re with both Ryuu and Nagi. The former still towers over her, but the gentle press of his supportive hand on her shoulder makes her feel a bit better. On the other hand, the latter is trying to give the room a lighter atmosphere despite the news that they may get. After all, they’re all here for a reason, for their director to stop typing on his desktop’s keyboard, as they’re all here for a specific reason.

Mitsuki suddenly rises his head again, face too neutral for her to judge what could be waiting to exit his mouth. His brother doesn’t seem too concerned about this expression, but is Iori really this good a measure unit when she’s known for some time that he could be hiding his emotions? He can’t always look this self-assured and confident, can he? Or maybe he’s just that much better than her…

“How is Dr Orikasa?” She finally dares to ask.

“We’re using the samples you two collected to create a serum.”

“Will… will it be done in time?” She asks again, almost begging for one answer she can’t be sure to get.

“That’s the problem: we don’t know. I’m afraid all we can do is put our faith in Gaku’s hands.”

“Isn’t there something I can do to help?”

She keeps stepping forward, but Ryuu’s hand prevents her from slamming her foot into the desk.

“I know it’s hard to wait around like that, but, please, try keeping your calm, okay?”

“Plus,” Nagi chimes in with his warm smile, “I’m sure Gaku can handle it!”

“I’ll… I’ll try…”

Her chest constricts even further to the point it starts to ache. The lead silence filling the room exacerbates the smothering feeling that’s clawing at her throat from inside her ribcage.

“…may I propose you to go outside and take a breather, Dr Takanashi?” Iori suddenly requests, shattering right through the mass of wordless worries.

“Iori’s right, Tsumugi,” Ryuu responds first, giving her another smile. “You look tense, it’d do you well to at least breathe in some fresh air.”

“ _Yes_! Don’t worry, if anything happens, we’ll tell you!”

“W-well then, I suppose the three of you are right… Let’s go, Izumi.”

She leaves in silence, with only the squeaking of her sneakers against the ground and the taps of his shoes accompanying their departure.

They go to the patio of Caduceus. They haven’t gotten much time to discover it until now, too busy, too caught-up in the GUILT storm to take a moment and breathe in oxygen that doesn’t smell like medicine, chemicals, or iron. Spring has rolled around, by now, so the air is filled with the scent of plants and a chilly breeze brushes through their hair.

At first, they’re both silent. She’s afraid all of her thoughts are going to spill out if she opens her mouth and she doesn’t want to spill it all over her assistant. Instead, she hums a little pop song she’s heard on the radio while taking the bus to work this morning. It’s been a long, long day…

To her surprise, he’s the one who ignites a conversation.

“Doctor, can I ask you something?”

“Huh?” She snaps out of her thoughts. “O-oh, of course! Shoot ahead, Iori.”

“Why are calling me by my given name, now? I don’t believe to have formally switched name bases before.”

He’s got a point. A big, big point she has never thought about until now. That’s a little awkward…

“A-ah, well… I didn’t even realize I had changed until you pointed it out! I guess I’m just more used to that, now that everyone at Caduceus calls you by your first name rather than your last… But I can be more careful and switch back to before if you’re uncomfortable with me using your given name!”

Her face is burning, she’s sure of it, but there’s no reason for his to have the tinge of pink she believes to be seeing there. Did she say something she shouldn’t have and embarrassed him too? Ah, that’d be a real issue!

“I… I don’t think I mind, especially when everyone does refer to me as Iori around us… and you’d probably slip up again anyway.”

“You’re probably not wrong… If that’s the case, then, you can call me Tsumugi too! There’s no reason why I’m the only one who should have that right, is there?”

“Let’s… let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Doctor. As far as I’m aware, I’m still your subordinate.”

She chuckles, then nods. It feels nice to finally talk about something else, to let her mind rest for a bit, even if it’s just for a couple minutes…

However, before her mind has the time to truly wind out, they’re soon back to the staff room, back to stressing with the few colleagues there. Ryuu is here and is their director, but Nagi has had to leave for other tasks he needs to take care of. The air is already back to the weight it had in the director’s office. They both go to sit on the sofa, her hands absentmindedly tangling together.

In the meantime, stuck here with nothing else to do but wait, Tsumugi wonders about a lot of things. How is Momo doing? Has he been able to request his return to Japan rather than getting care in the USA like he was originally going to? How is he taking the news? How is Banri taking them, has he visited his old friend and she just hasn’t seen him around due to her own busy schedule? Does Nurse Osaka know about the situation?

Tsumugi has had to place herself in the seat of the helpless people who have had to entrust the life of a loved one is someone else’s hands before, but she was a child. She was a little girl when her mother passed away and her memories from such a dark time are now blurry and have melted together into some sort of unrecognizable mess at times. She pushed them aside so far from her and filled her mind with so many other things that they started fading away.

Still, reliving that moment now that she’s much older and is very much aware of what may descend, especially in a deathly silence like this one, is weighing on her tremendously. She doesn’t want to see Dr Orikasa go because she happened to be in Africa while he was operating on victims, getting infected, poisoned from the inside by a terrific abomination of a manmade disease.

And then the door opens without a warning.

Immediately, the four of them project their gazes to the doorframe, revealing a dishevelled Gaku with his lab coat barely hanging onto his shoulders and rings under his eyes.

“ _’scuse me_ ,” he tells the room. “It’s ready.”

The relief that washes over her as she hears these exact words is unimaginable. She almost doesn’t feel her limbs anymore from the sudden backlash of emotions.

“We’re administrating the serum via IV,” he continues. “He should start recovering soon enough.”

Mitsuki rises to his feet, then almost bounces to their researcher.

“That’s great news! Thank you very much for all of your efforts, Gaku!”

“Congratulations! You’re going to save a couple lives with this!” Ryuu adds with almost as much enthusiasm.

That’s when she also gets up, accompanying the two men with a cheering applause. However, despite the compliments (and his side-glance which isn’t unlike Iori’s), Gaku seems bothered by something.

“Don’t get excited too quickly, there’s still a major issue with that plan of ours. That GUILT’s still inside of him and the serum won’t remove it. I s’ppose you plan on removing it, right?”

“That’s the course of action. Actually, we should do that right away.” Mitsuki then turns to the eldest surgeon in the room. “Ryuu, would you mind operating on it now? I’d also like Tsumugi to assist you as well.”

“I’ll do my best!” Ryuu replies with a smile. “And you, Tsumugi?”

“Understood. I’ll get ready asap!”

They all run through the doorway, but before they all definitely make their way to the OR, she slows down to directly speak with their head of research, a timid smile on her face.

“Thank you very much for helping my mentor out, Gaku. I’m… very grateful. Relieved, even.”

“Don’t stress it, that’s my job. Go save him, now.”

“Roger!”

She rushes forward again, finally feeling a rush of adrenaline pumping in her system yet again, heart filled with a sour-sweet mix of concern, stress and hope.


	41. Passing the Torch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT IV: Synthetic Plague - Chapter 4]  
> Tsumugi faces her biggest challenge yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UTK/SO 4-4 is an emblematic episode of TC. It's your first "meaningful operation" with a character you've known for a long time (Linda and Amy are also meaningful ops, don't get me wrong, but you've known Greg since 1-1 when 4-4 rolls around - it's impactful, if you got swooped up by the story).  
> Making my own version of it (well, INA 4-4 wasn't my first rodeo with it, it was actually a TC fic named "Closing the Loop") has been a really cool experience, even if the second half of the act is where my excitement really was all along.

_I don’t think I could ever operate on someone I personally know, Nurse Osaka._

Even as she enters Room 305, Tsumugi still hears this sentence resonate inside her mind. While she truly believed in it, at some point, she’s unsure of its veracity now. She did operate on Momo, but the situation merely called for it. Now, she’s just going to assist Ryuu in the procedure, so it’s not exactly how she thought it’d be when she told her first assistant about her thoughts.

Well, that’s before they’re in the room and her colleague gives her unexpected news.

“Tsumugi, you’re going to be operating on Dr Orikasa.”

“H-huh?!” She’s taken aback so much her head hits against Iori, who’s standing right behind her. “But I thought _you_ were scheduled for the procedure!”

“I asked him to switch with you, Tsumugi.”

She stares dumbfounded at her smirking mentor. His skin tone is slightly better than it was yesterday, or maybe that’s just her mind playing hopeful tricks on her, like a kind of mental placebo effect.

“But… why? Dr Tsunashi is an experienced surgeon, and I…”

“I know about what you told Sogo all those months ago. I’d like to know why you… couldn’t operate on me. You did so for Momo, didn’t you?”

“The circumstances weren’t the same! Besides, what if I did something wrong? I mean, you could very well…”

“You’re scared good ol’ Yuki won’t make it?”

“Of course not! You’re going to…”

“Then, _make it happen_ , Dr Takanashi.”

She’s stunned for a solid moment, frozen in place.

“Seems like I forgot to teach you an important lesson… You’ve developed your skills, but something’s still holding you back, isn’t it? Sometimes, a doctor must ignore their personal relationships to make an operation succeed. A friendship can’t have bearing on your surgical abilities. Once you’ll be in the OR, there’ll be no mentor and no mentee, just a doctor and her patient. You’re a doctor, so you save people, that’s all there is to it.”

“But, I’m… I’m still human, I could…”

“That’s especially important because of your abilities. I won’t let you… end up like Banri.”

“Like Banri…?”

“I’ll explain you once the time comes… For now, you just need to focus, Dr Takanashi. I know you can do this. Think of it as your final test before you can call yourself a real surgeon, okay?”

“Dr Orikasa, I…”

Before she can finish her sentence, he gives her a firmer smirk, then goes back to a pout.

“Okay. Doctor, can I be cured?”

As such, she puts on her firmer tones and stances. She must sound and look unnatural, but that’s not the point right now.

“Of course. I expect a full recovery after the procedure.”

“And who’s gonna operate on me, then?”

“I… I will.”

He gives her a bored moue.

“Eh… I dunno… You don’t sound very confident, Doc’…”

She takes an even deeper breath, further strengthening her tone. May he forgive her for what she’s about to say…”

“You can trust in me. I promise you’re in good hands, Mr Orikasa.”

To her relief, her mentor smiles softly again, despite the pain.

“That’s the spirit, Tsumugi. Remember that I believe in you.”

“Yes sir!”

Truth be told, Tsumugi is very stressed about what is about to happen, yet the pre-operation conference is already starting and she didn’t even see it coming, even as she was walking through the surgical ward. Still, the gentle warmth Ryuu exudes calms her down a little, enough for anxious tears not to spill. She expects Iori to tell her to swallow them and stop sniffling like a little girl – yet he doesn’t. Instead, they’re all silent until they enter the room.

Ryuu picks up the files as they both get scrubbed up, hiding hair and hands behind antibacterial doors. She can’t run away now: she needs to pay Dr Orikasa back, doesn’t she?

“Okay, Tsumugi, if you’re ready, I’ll now explain the details of this operation.”

She nods. He smiles back.

“As you know, Tetarti is a very dangerous strain of GUILT. It functions in groups of three bodies and produces a harmful substance that then poisons the victim’s blood. In other words, the Tetarti itself acts as one poisonous mass divided in three bodies. However, if we administer our antibody serum, it should die eventually. Gaku just completed it, so you only have one objective for this operation: kill the GUILT cells in the patient’s liver by injecting the correct serums into each unit. As we discussed, the Tetarti will weaken once you inject it. There’s a different one for each body, so pay attention to the colours of the serums you use. You’ll have a limited window of time to inject all three serums, so you’ll need to be accurate and fast. Not that you aren’t already, of course!” 

He pauses for a short moment, glancing at the profile with soft eyes.

“…I’m certain Dr Orikasa is a great surgeon. You trained under him, and now, it’s your turn to save his life. Do your best, Tsumugi, okay? I’m sure you’ll pull it off just fine. Like him, I believe in you.”

“I… I plan on it.”

“Best of lucks, then.”

They all finally step inside the OR, masks hiding their faces. She takes a deep breath yet again, trying to get her tense body to relax just enough to be comfortable for an operation.

“I’ll show you how much I learnt from you, Dr Orikasa. We’re beginning the operation!”

The procedure finally begins under the careful eyes of Anesagi monitoring the patient’s sleep in silence, of Ryuu watching over them and of Iori giving her the tools she needs. Usually, she may have felt pressured by sharing the OR with so many people; but she feels less like she’s observed and more like people watch over her with goodwill and care. She does need the support, at the moment…

“Dr Orikasa called this your final test, didn’t he? Let’s not disappoint his trust in you, Doctor,” Iori tells her as she picks up the gel. “I know you’ll pull it off.”

Getting herself together, gathering all of her bravery, Tsumugi makes her incision and gains access to the patient’s liver. When they get there, they’re greeted by three diverticula, pustulous and toxic-looking with their bright, overly saturated shades. In an almost comical fashion, they all adorn the three colours Iori and she were hunting for yesterday: purple, green, yellow.

“You need to inject the correctly-coloured serum into the diverticula. Once that’ll be done, you’ll just have to excise and extract them,” Iori explains while his fingers automatically point to what he’s talking about. He then hands her four vials and just as many syringes with a smirk. “But I assume you know that already, don’t you?”

“I appreciate the reminder nonetheless,” she replies as she picks up the syringe from the tray.

With swift manoeuvres, she injects all three diverticula with the correct serums, then moves on to the excision part, delicately cutting them while damaging as little tissue as possible. Once that’s done for all three, she extracts them with the forceps and puts membranes over the holes left behind, injecting some stabilizer while she’s at it, since his vitals aren’t doing so great. Dr… _The patient_ ’s exhausted state means they’re also not going to get much higher than where they’re currently sitting.

“Good work, Doctor,” Iori comments before his expression goes from calm to alert. “Chiral reaction is rising, be attentive!”

Under her eyes then appear three creatures similar to last time, except they’re bigger, stronger, and actually show their colours: green, purple, yellow. However, the shades soon fade away, replaced with white – but her laser focus doesn’t allow her to forget their colours, so she doesn’t wait for them to exude colourful gas to inject each other with the right colour. To make it easier for her to handle, her assistant is keeping track of which syringe has served for what, always positioning them in front of the right vial.

They stop moving when she injects them, then disappear back into the organ when she’s done targeting the three of them, as if melting with the organic tissues. As soon as they go, the Chiral reaction lowers, then rises a little higher when the next wave comes to the surface. From then on, it’s just a question of being careful to her injections, which have to be fast and precise, for the four next occurrences of Tetarti clusters waltzing around the place, only to be stabbed over and over again.

Eventually, they don’t rise back up the surface, allowing her to finally sigh in relief once and for all.

“All three Tetarti have disappeared. We have a negative Chiral reaction. You can now finish the procedure.”

She starts stitching her patient back up, then, as usual, doesn’t let her guard down as she finishes her work.

“Dr Orikasa will be proud. You’ve finally repaid him for everything he taught you at Kibou,” Iori states, not without giving her a little smile while putting away some tools.

“You’ve really improved, Tsumugi! You’re not the same as you were when operating on Kyriaki. I’m sure Dr Orikasa will be glad to call you his surgeon.”

They shortly thereafter leave the room, letting the rest of the staff take care of bringing her mentor to his room. She can’t deny her entire body feels like jelly now that relief washes over her, even as she walks to the staff room while typing a text on her phone. Iori is by her side, as usual.

“I’m announcing Momo his husband is safe now. He wanted to come, but his nurse prevented him from getting out of bed with all her might!” She chuckles as she imagines the scene: Momo has always been quite the lively and impatient man, of course he’d want to jump out of bed and run to the hospital. Maybe she can setup a way from them to speak to each other through video? “Speaking of which, do you know who Dr Orikasa hired before being admitted into Caduceus?”

“Let me guess… Is that Nanase?”

“Bingo! Kibou felt a little understaffed after we left, so they hired him as backup. He just announced it to me, so I figured I’d tell you.”

She stops in the middle of the corridor, her thoughts making a sudden one-eighty.

“…Iori, can you go back to the staff room on your own?”

“It’s a weird question, but— oh.” His face loses a bit of composure. “Of course. Don’t forget to take a rest, Dr Takanashi.”

“The same goes for you, Iori. Thank you very much.”

They split paths as she sets sail for the surgical ward once again, clutching her phone against her chest.


	42. Patient Zero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT IV: Synthetic Plague - Chapter 5]  
> Caduceus receives very bad news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any UTK/SO players knows about 4-5 and how it kickstarts one of the longest arcs in the game: the Richard Anderson arc. Said UTK/SO players will also have noticed that Richard has no counterpart in INA and I think that they've deduced what will happen in INA from now on based on what changes I made there.  
> As for I7-only readers... Well, you're in for a wild ride.

When she knocks on the door of Room 305, Tsumugi doesn’t exactly expect a response from its occupant. Her chest is heavy, perhaps too much, filled with a mix between concern that’d seem overly cautious and relief that hasn’t quite settled in yet. Still, despite her obvious unease, she enters the room and closes the door behind her as she does.

“Good afternoon, Tsumugi,” the occupant tells her.

As she makes her way to a chair by the bed, she observes her mentor’s physical condition. The IV she sees connected to his wrist doesn’t inspire her the same sort of fear as it did before. He’s paler than usual, but despite having gone through surgery merely hours ago, his skin tone is much better than when she saw him before the procedure. His eyes are a little brighter, his demeanour doesn’t contain any pain above the usual soreness to be expected after getting opened up and put back together (not that she’d have any first-hand experience of that, she’s never been under the knife herself).

It’s obvious that she’d be relieved about such a thing: all stress that may have lingered in her mind until now is now definitely gone. The anxiety of potentially losing her mentor to an abomination like GUILT, the pressure of actually having to succeed at the operation no matter the case even when the strain was a brand-new one ( _yet again_ , she’d add), the consequences of her failures on the cheerful Momo – she’d have never forgiven herself would have things gone south under her watch.

“How are you doing?” She asks him while pushing to the back of her mind all the black thoughts she’s had until now.

“Well… As good as a patient fresh outta surgery…” His voice is raspy, low, somewhat weird to listen to as a result; but it’s nonetheless his, and that’s all she needed to hear.

“Sorry for the soreness, then. If I could have avoided giving you such a feeling, I’d have!”

He chuckles to her admittedly terrible sense of humour.

“It’s a given for surgery, don’t worry about it – your old mentor knows about it.”

“I’m just so… _relieved_ you’re still alive, Dr Orikasa.”

“You were worried, weren’t you?”

“Of course I was! Why wouldn’t I be?!”

She seems to have gone off a little too hard, so she recoils in apologies soon after.

“S-sorry, I… I’m still a little antsy about all of this, I guess. First Momo, then you… I’m afraid I may lose anyone to GUILT if I look aside for too long.”

“I understand, don’t worry… As doctors, we may be even more anxious about losing our loves ones to diseases than most people… because we know what could go wrong more than they do. We’ve got the pressure of being able to save them on our shoulders.”

“Thank you very much for believing in me, Doctor,” she adds as she bows.

“Please just call me Yuki again… We’re equals, now, aren’t we?”

“Y-you think so?”

“You just saved me from GUILT, I should be the one calling you “Dr Takanashi”, shouldn’t I…?”

She lets out a not-so-nervous chuckle at his tone and knowing smirk.

“It’d be super weird for you to refer to me that way, so I’m gonna try my best!”

Right as she says it, she notices his eyelids fluttering, prompting her to switch speeches.

“A-ah, I should let you rest, you must be very fatigued from the operation…”

“I do appreciate the opportunity to sleep, but if you want to…”

“No, no, it’s fine! Tomorrow’s my day off, I’ll be able to have a longer conversation once you’ll be more rested.”

He nods.

“Before you go, do you happen to know where Mitsuki is? I haven’t seen him yet…”

“Oh, he was giving a speech in the city hall today! He should be back soon. You want me to tell him something?”

“Ah, no, I just wondered about a friend’s whereabouts…”

“I see. If you need anything, don’t hesitate calling for a nurse, Take care, Doc… Yuki!”

“Take care, Tsumugi… Don’t forget we’re all proud of you.”

She leaves the room with a blush creeping on her face, flushed and moved, her steps almost randomized as her thoughts race too quickly to keep in check. That’s when Iori’s voice comes to snap her out of her convoluted mindscape again. He seems in a bit of a hurry, his cheeks flushed from running to the verge of breathlessness.

“Dr Takanashi! Here you are!!”

“You need something from me, Iori?”

“Caduceus just received a strange letter. Dr Tsunashi asked for you to read it. Do you mind following me to the staff room?”

“Oh, of course not. Lead the way!”

And so they go to their usual break spot and read the letter with Ryuu. Just as she expected, it’s still anonymous and, as such, only more suspiciously Delphi-like. Tsumugi is almost used to these by now, sadly, and so is Iori – but Ryuu seems to be discovering these cryptic messages from an unknown enemy, as if finally getting into contact with the sort of messed-up words they’ve seen thrown their way for a couple months as he reads through the paper already somewhat wrinkled in his hands.

“ _Pempti – Thursday. As each death is sacrificed, man furnishes his dwelling in hell, but who will take record of the sins of our modern age?_ ” His voice reads the words almost sarcastically. “What in the world does that mean?!”

“It really follows all of the signs of a GUILT letter…” She comments out loud. “That can only mean…”

The door suddenly snaps open, revealing an alarmed, breathless Nagi with cheeks plastered in red. This is starting feel uncomfortably familiar.

“Is something wrong?” Ryuu asks as they all lift their head from the paper.

Tamaki pops his head from behind Nagi’s shoulder, looking just as panicked as the latter. She’s getting all sorts of wrong vibes from this sudden apparition.

“It’s Mikki!!”

“What happened to my… the director?!” Iori practically barks his question out.

“He… He collapsed!”

“ _Come again_?!”

Tsumugi gets startled and almost jumps as a result: she’s never heard such rage in her assistant’s voice before. It’s a terrifying sight to behold, condition of her director put aside for a single moment.

“Do we know what he has?!” He asks as he storms out of the room.

“The results aren’t in yet, but it’s… most likely GUILT…” Nagi struggles to reply while a sharp pair of silver eyes are glaring at him like you’d put a gun against someone’s head.

“How could this have happened?” Ryuu questions much more calmly. “How did they get this close to the director? We… we need to gather the staff. I know Kaoru is on her day off, but everyone must be come.”

“Roger!” Tamaki runs off, his phone already in hand, despite the apprehensive expression on his face.

Silence doesn’t time to settle when emergency runs wild in the room.

“Won’t we need a substitute director?” Nagi then asks, rising a new point that seems to anger Iori even further; yet the latter doesn’t say anything, settling for a silent rage instead.

“We will. Does anyone have a suggestion?”

“I… I think I’ve got one!” Tsumugi suddenly exclaims, rising her hand as to lie an emphasis despite the bile settling in the back of her throat, as she gets her phone out of her pocket.

Peace isn’t about to come back into their lives anytime soon, it’d seem…


	43. And Now, for Something Completely Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT IV: Synthetic Plague - Chapter 6]  
> Tsumugi, Gaku, and the new GUILT around the block.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had the idea for this with vanilla TC. I had in the plans, at some point, to write a TC AU where Sidney got infected with Pempti rather than Richard for max angst potential. Originally, I had Rinto as Richard, but realizing I didn't know how to write this guy and knowing I wanted Mitsuki to have the Pempti infection instead, I ended up fusing Sidney and Richard's roles for INA.  
> This chapter is longer because a lot of crap happens in canon 4-6 and I had to lenghten it a little for, again, max feels. Woops.

There’s something inherently wrong about seeing _Banri_ in _Mitsuki’s_ seat, at _Mitsuki’s_ desk, in _Mitsuki’s_ office. She may have been the one to recommend her own former director as temporary replacement, she’ll nonetheless never get over the bad feeling she’s getting from this. Not that Gaku’s extraordinary presence and Iori’s sterner, scarier demeanour are about to make her feel any easier about it.

She didn’t really sleep per say, last night, and that’s despite how tired she is to in extremis save her loved ones from a deadly disease whose dangers she can only know by heart at this point. Her thoughts were too black and the future too bleak to let her access a peaceful slumber; and she’s very well aware this dread won’t disappear by itself anytime soon. She imagines it can have only been worse on Iori, considering the rings that have appeared from one day to the other under his eyes.

Come to think of it, she’s somewhat surprised Banri has kept up with that whole GUILT debacle. She knows he retired from surgery years ago, before he even took her in after… _the incident_ , but he nonetheless rushed into Caduceus as soon as Ryuu asked him to be their substitute for the time being, already in the know about Triti (that’s the name of the strain she operated on in Africa, she got told) and Tetarti.

Well, there are rational explanations to this. He may have asked Yuki about them while visiting him: she knows they’re close friends, now that they put the incident behind for the most part (which she’ll never know the nature of, considering how insanely secretive they are about it). He may have just read about it in scientific publications: GUILT is starting to become more widespread knowledge now that its creators are after the general Japanese population.

“What is the director’s condition?” She reluctantly asks.

“It’s yet another new strain of GUILT, it’d seem…”

“We’ve tried a number of treatments, but so far, nothing has worked,” Iori comments. “Dr Tsunashi has been with Director Izumi ever since he got admitted in Caduceus.”

“You’ll be taking his place, then, Tsumugi.”

“Understood.”

“Dr Yaotome, if you could give us instructions?”

“Sure thing.” Gaku turns to her, expression stern, yet a little softer now that she looks into his eyes. “We’ll be working on this together, Takanashi. Don’t disappoint.”

“I-I won’t…!”

“Good,” he smirks back at her.

The sudden noise of a chair pulls the attention back to their new director.

“Now that this has been said and done,” Banri states as he gets up from his chair, “let’s pay him a visit, shall we?”

“Understood,” Tsumugi and Gaku both reply at the same time.

Iori doesn’t say anything as they leave the room and make their way to the surgical ward.

When they get here, Banri knocks on the door, then grants them all access to the room. And, as soon as she steps in, Tsumugi can only understand why Iori is so tense: her director, who is usually so energic and happy, radiating a pure and welcoming warmth, has transformed into a shell of his usual self. His tone has considerably paled down, his eyes are glassy and somewhat unfocused, his smile has gotten replaced with a frown that’s trying to be a smile. All in all, it’s a _horrifying_ sight to behold.

Nonetheless, they watch Mitsuki rise on weak arms, eyes still fierce despite the obvious pain that fills them. It seems like nothing will bring their director down as long as the untameable flame will rage on inside of him. His brother immediately rushes to the side of the bed, his usually straightforward, intense eyes filled with early tears and sickly fears.

“I still can’t believe they got to me too…!” He rants under a shallow breath. “Should’ve been more careful, sorry.”

“Big brother, don’t strain yourself!” She hears Iori franticly panic, and something sounds off about it, but she doesn’t pay attention to that immediately, her mind being too… _elsewhere_ for that.

“So, Gaku, what’re my chances? Be honest.”

“I’d say around 35%. And even then, that’s a generous estimate.”

That horrifying percentage made her body temperature drop by a degree or several.

“Dr Yaotome!!”

“What? All I’m saying is the truth, small Izumi.”

“It’s alright, Iori, I asked for it. Tell me everything about my condition, Gaku, I wanna know more so I don’t do something super stupid. No matter in what state I’m in, I’m still you guys’ director, so I can’t be a dumbass…” He gets a coughing fit. “…Gaku, will you be able to figure out a treatment for that thing?”

“Can’t make any guarantees, chief, but I’ll do what I can. You’re the first victim of that thing, so I gotta work from scratch.”

“I see…”

Suddenly, Mitsuki’s expression steps even further into nothing short of odds-defying determination.

“Use me as your guinea pig, then. Find a way to stop that strain! I give Caduceus full discretion over my own treatment, that’s only fair.”

“But, brother, you… That’s…”

“You’re sure about that? I can’t promise my treatments will work.”

Despite his condition, Mitsuki sounds firm in his beliefs. It’s awestriking, really.

“I’ve been here for a while – I know that, Gaku. Do what’s possible. At the very worst, you’ll be able to use the results for someone else. You can do that, right?”

“Challenge accepted, then. Imma save you, it’s just gonna sting a little.”

“As expected coming from you, Gaku. Do what you must.”

“As long as you’re prepared for the worst, you’ll be cured. I’m too smart not to find a cure!”

“W-wait…”

In reaction to his brother’s dread, Mitsuki squeezes his hand.

“I’ll be fine, Iori. I promise.”

They soon leave the room, heading straight to the OR for experiments, in complete silence.

The air in the pre-operation conference room isn’t any easier, especially as Tsumugi finds herself alone with her researcher colleague. Iori is skipping this one, but that’s for the better: truth be told, with how antsy he was in Mitsuki’s room, she wouldn’t really trust him to be focused on anything but that. Not to mention, she can only understand not wanting to see his brother’s chest cut open, even if it’s by people he can trust.

Come to think, she’d have made him sit that one herself if he hadn’t done that by himself first. She wouldn’t have expected him to be able to really concentrate, nor held it against him. Sometimes, the circumstances are just too violent and seeing his younger sibling in bed with a sickly skin tone and an IV inserted into his wrist can only have hurt. Poor brothers…

Gaku’s speech as she gets scrubbed up breaks her out of her thoughts. He looks stern and serious, not unlike Iori, holding a profile and what she assumes to be notes on instructions or possible treatments they need to test.

“Okay, so there’s that new GUILT strain named Pempti, and it’s what’s inside the chief’s chest. I’ve done enough tests to know how much of a bastard that thing can and will be, but I’ve got no idea how to treat it. Even if it looks like the situation’s hopeless, every disease has a cure, and that’s how we roll around here. But, hey, you know how medicine is, that’s why you joined Caduceus. Mitsuki said that in the worst case, at least, his case can be used for a greater good. Ain’t surprising for a dude who’s worked with us for years and whose brother is a nurse. We owe the guy our best, so it works out. In short, for this procedure, your objective is to do everything I tell you to do.”

“E-eh?!”

“I’m the researcher here, right? I’ve prepared everything, so just follow my directions and we’ll be _fine_. Just listen to me.”

“O-okay… Let’s do this, then.”

He gives her a smirk, completely distinct from the strict attitude he had until now.

“That’s a good attitude. You’ll handle this, Tsumugi.”

“We don’t have much time in front of us, so let’s begin the operation!”

Once in the OR, Tsumugi puts her arms entirely to Gaku’s service, obeying his every orders. Of course, she follows protocols: disinfect the site of incision, make it with a disinfected, pristine scalpel, make your way to the organ. During the path to it, she tries ignoring her words to Nurse Osaka, whose truth she needs to dispose of soon if that’s what life has in store for her.

However, a nasty surprise immediately greets her as soon as she has visuals on the patient’s right lung. She stares right into some… threatening mass. It looks very much out of place, unnatural, almost surreal with its dark blue hues swirling around like an ectoplasm. In the middle of it seems to float the eye of the storm, empty, aimless. If it wasn’t something so harmful, she could’ve been mesmerized by it. However, since it can only be the work of some of the devious minds she’s been fighting for a little while, she shrugs off that impression and focuses back onto her mission.

“Surprised?” Gaku asks, dejectedly amused. “Welcome to Pempti.”

He clears his throat and reprises a more serious tone.

“This gelatinous fluid is filling our director’s lung. You’re going to have to follow my orders from now on, okay?”

“Sure thing.”

He walks up to her, leading to a small realization. Gaku, like pretty much everyone else that isn’t Mitsuki in Caduceus, towers her over her. Perhaps less than Ryuu, and his presence is less warm than the latter’s and far less comforting than Iori’s, but she feels straightforward and steady when she stands next to him.

“Let’s start by detaching it,” he orders. “Try cutting that stuff with the scalpel.”

It doesn’t work: the ectoplasm just glides along the sharp blade.

“How about the laser then? Let’s try incinerating the thing. It’s worked before with other GUILTs as far as I know.”

It doesn’t work: the beam just gets straight-up absorbed into the ectoplasm.

“Time for the antibiotic gel, then…” He groans as he hands her a jar of it. “I tweaked that one’s formula a little, so it should hopefully do _something_.”

It doesn’t work: the gel melts into the mass and vanishes before their eyes.

“ _That’s_ still no use?! Shit, that thing’s really starting to piss me off! If it wants the big guns, I’ll get him the big guns…”

He fiddles with something not too far from their operation table, then comes back to the table and puts a tray between them. On it are four vials and just as many needles. Remembering how Iori handled the serums used to treat Dr Orikasa’s Tetarti, Tsumugi feels compelled to quickly memorize the order of the vials: going from left to right, they respectively contain white, orange, pink and blue liquids.

“So here’s my last trick. It’s effective, but it’s also still being researched and adjusted, so it’s harmful as hell on the human body. Hopefully, this should go alright. Be careful with that stuff and, again, _follow my orders_.”

“Roger that.”

“Start with the vial of blue liquid, then.”

Tsumugi obeys again, filling one of the syringes with the appropriate substance, then injecting it into the core, just as instructed. Seeing as it doesn’t produce any effect, Gaku then tells her to inject the pink substance next, only for the exact same results to appear. She can sense he’s getting even tenser, but doesn’t comment on it as he tells her to inject the yellow liquid into the core so he can take notes and gather data.

However, that injection causes the mass to pulsate, rapidly change colours and cause a deplete in their patient’s vitals, so Gaku quickly orders her to inject the white stabilizer back into the core who’s still visible despite the changing hues. In a reflex, she applies his instructions, and manages to calm down the mass so it goes back to its former, calmer state. She shouldn’t be relieved, and yet…

Gaku soon instructs her to inject stabilizer into their patient’s system so he doesn’t suffer too many consequences from what just happened. A short silence follows before his voice comes back out.

“What if we mix an increased dosage? Alternate between blue and yellow.”

Resuming her previous work, she does as told, alternating between blue and yellow injections, then between pink and white. The mass reduces in size little by little with each injection while she keeps an eye on the vitals displayed on the nearby monitor, even if the core tends to move and disappear back into the plasma from time to time. It eventually stabilizes enough for them to carry out the last step of a plan she doesn’t know much about.

“Excise a portion of the Pempti cells so I can research the damn thing,” he tells her, and she does just that, yet again. “Close the director back up, now.”

The mention of the patient’s identity snaps something in half inside of her. That’s right, the slender chest she cut into and is now mending as much as possible with delicate sutures and well-meaning gel belongs to Mitsuki, and they need to find the cure so he can be saved and see many more days. That makes her suddenly nauseous when she was almost fine facing the atrocity that’s eating their director’s lung. In the meantime, her colleague is thinking out loud.

“As expected, you did pretty well. They weren’t wrong when they said you were some sort of gifted surgeon.”

“…thank you,” she says in a hushed voice.

Almost absent-mindedly, Tsumugi goes back to the staff room while Gaku makes his way back to his lab. There, she finds Banri sipping on a Styrofoam cup of coffee and Iori deep into his thoughts sitting on the sofa, forearms on his lap.

“Did it go right, Tsumugi?” Banri asks her as she goes to sit next to her assistant, putting a hand behind his back.

“I guess… Now, all we can do is wait for the analysis results to come back…”

“We’re depending on him, then,” Banri observes as silence settles once more in the air.


	44. Innocently Insensitive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT IV: Synthetic Plague - Chapter 7]  
> Tsumugi and Gaku solve some puzzles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This summary isn't a metaphor. It's actually what happens in this chapter. God I love Trauma Center.

There are a couple golden rules in Caduceus. The first is that the director will call you by your given name and won’t ever stop doing so, even if you ask. The second is that being called to the research labs by the face of the R&D department never happens and, when it does, it means “shit’s goin’ down” (Tamaki’s words), so you’d absolutely rather not ever need to go there for any reason.

Tsumugi can now safely say she’s now seen both happen. Working for Caduceus is, indeed, an experience like nothing else.

Both Iori and she have been summoned there by a restless Gaku as soon as they arrived to start their late shift, even before she could check what her procedures for the night were. Even more restless than Gaku, however, is her assistant nurse, whose foot taps when they get stuck in one place for too long. Their relations are growing tense again, much to her displeasure, and it pinches her heart to see him grow so distant, so snappy again. She absolutely knows why, and the explanation is her reason to prevent herself from growing too upset (to make it simple, it’s not about her and it’ll never be). She can tell today is going to be another long, long day.

Fortunately, there are some things that reassure her a little. Mitsuki’s condition hasn’t worsen as much as Nagi expected, to which he confessed when she went by the staff room to fetch both Iori and her their morning cups of coffee. And, considering she’s been summoned to the lab, she’s allowed to feel hopeful about what her colleague is going to show them.

Soon enough, Gaku emerges from the laboratory, the rings under his eyes having grown deeper since yesterday. When she asks him about them, he waves her concern away with a “I’m used to all-nighters, no need to worry,” then lets them enter without adding any “unnecessary fluff”, as he’d put it. Typical of him, she’d guess.

The place itself is exactly how she’d have pictured it: it’s pristine and covered with state-of-the-art technology and machinery she’ll probably never understand the functioning or even use of. She may be a surgeon, she’s no researcher, and Gaku’s occupation is a much different one than hers despite the both of them working for in the same field. Near them is a table with three stools.

“Let’s start with the good news,” Gaku opens back the conversation. “Pempti has a weakness.”

“That’s amazing news! What’d be that weakness, then?”

“Without going into details, because let’s face neither of you are here for that, there’s a section of its DNA that can easily be altered. By injecting a nanomachine, we can basically reprogram it to self-destruct, and voilà, threat eradicated. Everyone’s happy and can go home. Well, I’d say that if there wasn’t an issue.”

“What’d be that issue, then?” Iori asks next.

“It’s gonna sound ridiculous, but there’s a part of the nanomachine I just can’t nail down. One of the program strings, is, heh… complex. Therefore, I need you two’s help.”

“Tells us what we need to do, we’ll get on it right away!”

He puts in front of both Iori and her a strange thing: a puzzle board featuring an odd, symmetrically shaped slot with a couple pieces next to it. Noticing her confusion and his unamused frown, Gaku quirks an eyebrow, then starts his explanation.

“All I need you to do today is to help me with a simple puzzle. It’s pretty easy, but I need to see how other people go about solving it. Someone like me would obviously settle on the fastest solution immediately, but I need someone like you two, who are less… y’know, _educated about research_ to show me how that’d be done.”

“If you think we’re idiots, just say it out right, Yaotome,” Iori interjects. “I’d like to see how you’d fare against GUILT in an actual procedure.”

“No need to get your panties in a twist, small Izumi. Anyway, I’ll be recording each of your solutions. Just relax and ignore whatever stupid thing I can say. All you need to do is to solve the puzzle. Good luck.”

She isn’t really looking forward to it, especially since she isn’t the best at puzzle games like that, but nonetheless looks at her assistant with an awkward chuckle in her voice.

“Well then, Iori, let’s give it a try…!”

“Yeah, _let’s_.”

The first thing Tsumugi does is to analyse the shapes of the four pieces she got provided with. They’re all composed of little hexagons and, now that she’s looking at the slot with a calmer gaze, she’s noticing it’s innerved with little hexagon shapes of the exact size as the ones on the pieces. She better try now if she doesn’t want to make Gaku lose his time –

Iori has already finished on his side of the table. As sharp-minded as always, huh?

Seeing her assistant complete in record time inspires her back and allows her to finish not too long after. She feels a sort of pride as she gives her puzzle solution back to her colleague, as silly as it is. He stares at the result of her hard work with a weird gaze.

“Hmm, I see… That kind of makes sense. In a way.”

She chuckles awkwardly again, embarrassed. It all fades out when she sees his face illuminate with a smile. He hits his palm with his other fist.

“In that case, I just need to think _backwards_! Thanks, Tsumugi! I think I can use a simple program that shouldn’t take too long to code.” He looks a little aside, almost as if he were himself embarrassed, but goes back to his former pride before she can really analyse his face’s expression. “Let’s get started right away! Someone ain’t gonna be sleeping tonight!” His expression switches again, this time looking bothered. “Speaking of which, could you two get out of my lab now? I’d rather work alone.”

“Oh, no worries! Let’s take our leave, Iori. Best of lucks, Gaku!”

“Good luck.”

The both of them exit the lab, then make their way to the staff room on the other side of the building. In the meantime, the silence between them gets too heavy for her not to attempt breaking it.

“Hey, can I ask you something, Iori?”

“Sure, what’d that be?”

“Do you know why Gaku calls you “small Izumi”? Wouldn’t you be “big Izumi” and Mitsuki “small Izumi”?”

“Well, if you were to speak by height, then yes, it’d make more sense this way. I, however, think Yaotome is referring to our ages.”

Something makes her mind blank as a very, very awkward realization sips into her.

“So what you’re saying is that…”

“Dr Takanashi, _please_ tell me you didn’t think what I think you thought.”

“You’re Mitsuki’s _younger_ brother?!”

“…Yes, yes I am. Is there anything wrong with that?”

Tsumugi’s mind is going in all sorts of places, and none of them is of rationality.

“N-no, that’s not what I mean, but… Tell me, how old’s Mitsuki, then?”

“My brother’s twenty-nine.”

“And you?”

“I’m twenty-five.”

“You… You’re younger than _me_ too?!”

“Yes, yes I am. Is that so surprising?”

“W-well, it kinda is, I had figured you were a couple years older than me…!”

When she finally looks back at him, she expects to see a frown or a deadpan, but instead, he looks as embarrassed as she feels, face covered in red.

“I guess I _do_ look older than my age…”

They’re near the staff room, so she’s going to end the conversation on a sweet note before the

“You really will never stop amazing me, Iori, you know that?”

The blush on his cheeks strengthens. He looks aside before clearing his throat.

“ _Surely_ I _don’t_ know _why_ you’d say _such_ an _embarrassing_ thing out of the blue like _that_ …”

“Do I need reasons to compliment my dear assistant, now? Can’t I just be grateful?”

She’s half-teasing, half-concerned about how much he’s rejecting her kindness. Is she really as embarrassing as he says she is, or is he just very awkward when he needs to accept compliments? She may never know, with how weirdly secretive he tends to get at times.

“…you can. Just think about drowning me in sharp and cool compliments, next time. I _refuse_ to hear I’m _cute_ next.”

“That’s an… _oddly specific_ thing to request from me, but okay!”

They enter the staff room and leave the strange conversations to the empty corridors drowned in the never-complete darkness of the night.


	45. Hope Spot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT IV: Synthetic Plague - Chapter 8]  
> Tsumugi, Gaku, Iori, and the GUILT that is starting to be old news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go again with another surgery scene was a chore to write down, mostly because it's so... boring to watch. To play it's all fine, but to watch, it's kinda boring, especially since it's similar to 4-6. The dialogue does make up for for it, however, so I'm at least getting more of that sweet, sweet angst y'all signed up for.

It’s only a day later when Gaku summons back into the OR for yet another operation on their director. This time, Tsumugi isn’t alone with the researcher in the room: Banri is here to overseer them while Iori is with them to assist with the procedure, albeit he looks like he just got out of bed and didn’t have his morning coffee. She knows for a fact he’s had it – he even got it _twice_ , in fact –, but she isn’t so sure about him even being a bed in the first place. Perhaps he was and couldn’t use it for its first function. Oh well, she’ll have to ask him later, because she’s getting seriously concerned for his well-being.

It still doesn’t prevent him from doing his job as well as possible. In the pre-conference room, he holds the profile and instructions as she puts on her scrubs, making sure to be as sterile as possible on the surface. It’s of course impossible to reach, but that doesn’t mean she can’t try. At the very least, Mitsuki’s condition and endangered future are worth the shot.

“Let’s begin the briefing on the Pempti treatment,” Iori starts, briefly rising his eyes from the clipboard in his hands.

“I’ve got a few theories about that thing, so I’ve prepared some countermeasures for it. Imma explain ’em now.”

Gaku clears his throat, gets a crumbled piece of paper from his pants’ pocket, and starts reading his notes out loud.

“From the data we gathered during the last operation, it’s safe to assume we won’t be able to directly remove that thing; but, lucky for us, the artificial DNA structure at its root has a direct weakness. It actually collapses if it’s attacked from a three-dimensional angle.” (She can’t say she’s following what he’s saying really well, all of this sounds like vaguely medical gibberish). “To exploit that very weakness, I developed a nanomachine because, by altering its DNA, we can instigate necrosis. Basically, we’re driving that thing to suicide. I tried it on a sample and it immediately took effect, as within a second or so half of it was gone, and three seconds later, _91_ % of its mass had _vanished_. That’s all because this thing’s insane regeneration rate only transfers the suicidal DNA even _faster_. If we can shrink it down that way, excising it should be a walk through the park.”

He clears his throat again when he notices three out of our people in the room didn’t quite get most of it.

“Anyway, to recap: we’ll perform a lobectomy to inject the nanomachine directly, then excise the GUILT and any surrounding tissue. Any questions or objections to that plan, Chief?”

“It sounds like our best option,” Banri comments. “Dr Takanashi, please prepare for surgery.”

“Understood.”

And so the four of them head into the OR, all dressed up in scrubs. It pains her to tear off the bandage on Mitsuki’s chest just to incise right over the former stitches again, but all she can do is follow orders and hope for the best. That feeling of powerlessness is familiar, hits too close to home; yet she feels better about it.

The sight of Pempti, then a vial of sanguine orange liquid and a syringe getting handed to her by an unceremonious Gaku bring her back to reality. Again, it feels weird to have him by her side and, as powerful as he is and as admirative as she is of his work, it just will never feel right to her if it’s not Iori (she’d have argued she’d also feel at home with Nurse Osaka by her side – but it’s been so long and so many things have happened since then that she’s not quite convinced). She picks them up, fills the syringe in silence, glances over at the desperate vitals, and follows orders.

“Administer it slowly. We don’t know how that thing’s gonna react.”

She carefully inserts her syringe’s point into the core, then slowly pushes onto its back and watches the liquid disappear into the organism. Noticing that neither the core nor the fluids are going out of control, instead reducing in mass, Gaku instructs her to inject the nanomachines a second tile. That’s when small tumours form.

“Laser ’em.”

While she treats them with the laser-and-gel technique she’s used to, she also takes care of carrying a third injection, which then prompts a change: not only is the mass now on the bottom of the lung, swirling around the core, a spinning double-blade-shaped… thing emerged from it, surprising the both of them.

“Is that the Pempti core?! Quick, use the laser on it!”

They both anxiously watch the light beam hit right into the centre of the blades. After some time, it stops spinning altogether.

“It’s no longer active, I’d guess,” Gaku observes. “Now, you should be able to excise it without harming any—” He stops mid-sentence, right as she gasps: the blades start spinning again and the ectoplasm wins over the surface of the organ again. “ _Dammit_ , it restored itself! The core Pempti has to be controlling the rest of the cells…”

For a few long, heavy seconds, her eyes can’t settle on watching the core, watching her colleague franticly search for words, watching the vitals of their patient, or watching a distant Iori eye the scene with disgust and fury.

“Augh… Sorry for that, Tsumugi. I screwed up. Still, gimme one more chance! I just know I can figure this out!”

 _“Perhaps you should ask Iori about that,”_ goes through her mind, but she doesn’t say anything other than a not-so-confident “sure”.

“Good. Try injecting it again like before, we gotta be onto something!”

Tsumugi doesn’t discuss orders and does as said, doing her three injections and taking care of the tumours appearing with it yet again. This time, she gets to excise the core out, putting it on the tray with a sense of victory filling her senses. However, it’s shortly lived: just as before, as soon as it seems like the operation is over, as soon as a glimmer of hope shines in the OR, it gets crushed by darkness and melts into the ectoplasm of Pempti eating away their patient’s vitals.

“No _fucking_ way! Is that thing unbeatable?” Gaku screams as he watches the core activate itself back up and fill the lung with miasma again. “Fuck this shit! Try again, Tsumugi!!”

She’s about to do so when someone else’s voice cuts through the air like a knife.

“We have to abort the procedure.”

Both of them rise their head back up to see Banri staring at the scene with nothing but concern on his face, then the source of the voice: a shaken Iori, whose chest is quickly rising and falling, fists into balls.

“What?! Chief, tell Izumi we need to continue, we’re almost—”

“Can’t you see it, Yaotome?!”

For the first time in what has to be his entire life, Iori interrupts a superior.

“See _what_?! That you’re forcing us to cancel everything?!”

“My brother’s body can’t handle anymore!! Stop this before it’s too late!”

She believes she isn’t imagining the tears in his anguished eyes.

“Chief, that’s _bullshit_ , please—”

“I’m afraid he’s right, Dr Yaotome. Please close the patient back up, Dr Takanashi.”

Banri makes his choice and she silently follows, only replying with a nod before she injects stabilizer into Mitsuki’s veins, then picks up her sutures from the nearby tray. As she finishes closing her director’s chest once again, applying the bandage with the taste of defeat in her mouth, she hears her colleague swear his head off.

“ _Goddammit_ , I can’t believe that!”

They all remove their scrubs and exit the room in silence: she’s defeated, Gaku is furious, Banri is pained and Iori is on the verge of crying. They’re nothing but a bunch of bitter, beaten warriors whose battle seems to have no point.

Their head of research continues screaming his head off when they reach the staff room again, shattering the lead-heavy silence with a sledgehammer.

“ _Of course_ it had a contingency plan, how did I _not_ think of that?! They put in such an obvious flaw in its DNA, _of course_ they’d have a system to reinforce it! I can’t believe I made such a fucking, idiotic, stupid mistake!”

None of them are very amused by this. She needs to do something about the situation, quick…

“Don’t beat yourself over the head too much, Gaku! We all make mistakes. You couldn’t have really known it’d have an exact self-defence system like that. Plus, there’s one bright side: I was able to retrieve a sample of Pempti! Couldn’t you use it to create a more effective treatment, now that you’ve seen what it can do?”

The scowl he had on his face until now chips away a little, revealing a smirk.

“Of course I can do that! Hah, that stupid virus’s gonna pay for making me look like a fool!”

Having said that, Gaku storms out of the room, and she’s left to wonder yet again how this situation is going to end and hoping for a happy ending.


	46. Not So Stoic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT IV: Synthetic Plague - Chapter 9]  
> Tension rises inside the corridors of Caduceus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Gaku, Tsumugi and Iori interactions, for whoever wanted more of these. I gotta say, as much as I don't like playing these parts of SO, I loved writing them for INA. The dialogue was very fun to play around with.

To her dismay, Tsumugi is observing something: they’re getting a little used to Banri’s command and to be concerned for their director. To be fair, being able to feel a little more serene is welcome: her stress levels are starting to be a little too high to her liking, and even considering how her hands tremble and how she has troubles falling asleep once she’s all alone in her little flat, she has to be the _least_ anxious out of their current circle.

Banri hasn’t genuinely smiled ever since he got thrusted into Mitsuki’s position by a panicked Caduceus staff. Gaku is still stressed over his mistake from yesterday and the rings under his eyes have somehow deepened since then. Iori is both at the same time, except his head hands lower and lower with each hour passing. At this point, she won’t be surprised if he ends up collapsing before the treatment gets completed. Poor boy seems like he hasn’t caught a mental break in quite a while.

And yet, despite everything, Mitsuki still smiles at the four of them in his hospital room.

“Good to see you ’round, Ban.” Even his voice sounds undefeated, undefeatable. “Shouldn’t you be back at Kibou?”

“Well, I’d be if I wasn’t substituting for you.”

“Ah, right, yeah. Thanks for keeping an eye on my guys. Are you here to pay your favourite student a visit?”

“How are you feeling, Director?” She asks, as if any familiarity she has had with him until now is now gone. “Actually, Dr Ogami, why are you here? I didn’t know you were a friend of the director…”

“Tsumugi wasn’t my student, Mitsuki. Yuki is the one who taught her everything, not me.” Banri then turns to her, noticing she’s getting confused. “I’ve known Mitsuki for a long time, so I could only pay him a visit during a break.”

“It’s a shame our visit had to be in such terrible circumstances. Sorry for that…”

“It’s a shame, but it’s also no ordinary disease, so it isn’t on you.”

Tamaki, as usual, doesn’t really ask before entering the room, a clipboard and a new pocket for the IV drip under his arm. He quickly greets them all, then goes to the right side of their patient.

“Scuse me, Mikki, but I gotta see your hand.”

“No problem.”

“Ah, sorry! Am I in the way?” Banri asks while he watches Tamaki carefully take care of his tasks. He’s almost like another person altogether when it comes to carrying his job obligations…

“Nah, don’t worry, Ban-chan. Just pretend like I ain’t here.”

Iori deeply sighs.

“Yotsuba, please tell me you didn’t give Dr Ogami some ridiculous nickname…”

Banri chuckles.

“It’s fine, I like it. If Nurse Yotsuba gives Mitsuki a nickname, then it’s only normal he gives one to me too.”

For once, and despite Tamaki’s pleased smirk, Iori doesn’t argue back.

“Ah…” Banri sighs. “I want you to be able to do your job, Mitsuki, rather than having me, or anyone else for that matter, do it. I know you’re not going to be happy about it, but I took a look at your charts. I’ve been part of a briefing yesterday, and I wish to ask you if I can attend the following ones from now on. Is that good with you?”

“I mean, I’m always knocked out when these happen, so make yourself a home. I get from this that you started practicing again, then?”

“Don’t jump to conclusions. I’m only acting as your substitute and advisor on the situation, and only until you’re discharged. After this, Caduceus will owe me one again.”

“ _Again_?” Tsumugi asks.

“Well, they did take one of my best surgeons away,” he tells her with a chuckle in his voice, “but you’ve also saved my other best surgeon and close friend, so it’s even now.”

“I see,” she replies, still a little confused as to why that’d even matter. Banri must be sarcastic here, that wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for him to do.

Mitsuki coughs, getting the attention back to him with worry, until it’s clear he just did it to get all of their attention back.

“Actually, I have a request for you too, Banri: do your best. You’re also _not_ allowed to decline it.”

“Sure thing. We’ll be going now. Get some rest, Mitsuki.”

“Buh-bye!”

“Bye,” Tamaki closes the conversation off as they leave the small, cramped-up room.

Once they get out, Banri leaves for the director’s office, while the three of them remain there. That’s before Gaku taps on her shoulder.

“Hey, Tsumugi. I need your help again.”

“Is that for another of your puzzles, Yaotome?”

“As sharp as always, small Izumi.”

“Don’t make Dr Takanashi lose her time in a situation like this.”

“I won’t eat her time away; it’ll only take a few minutes. Besides, if you’re that concerned, you can always come with her.”

“Ha, guys, please don’t fight!” She interrupts their fighting. “I’ll help you as much as I can, Gaku, especially if it can make Mitsuki’s pain last shorter.” She then turns to her assistant. “You can come with me too, Iori! The more brains, the better, right?”

“I suppose you’re right…”

They enter the lab again. This time, Tsumugi notices some changes: more paper stacks, more spilled contents here and there that wasn’t really cleaned out, more scribbles and struck-through lines of writing on discarded sheets, some of them crumbled into fist-shaped balls.

Just like before, she sits on a stool and Iori sits on another near hers. On her part of the table are even more papers which she doesn’t get to read anything on: Gaku quickly sweeps them to the other side of the piece of furniture, making them out of her eyes’ reach. Iori seems to be able to read a couple words from the ones the closest to him, but as he doesn’t comment on it, she figures she can just drop it. Gaku soon puts puzzle boards right in front of their noses anyway.

“I’ve got two puzzles, this time. Y’know the drill otherwise. I’m counting on you two again.”

“Sure thing,” she replies before delving headfirst into the board.

The first one she gets to take a look at really is similar to the one from two days ago, down to being symmetrical, except it’s bigger and has more pieces to fill it with. It’s more straightforward than she’d have expected, even if her attention is quickly attracted to something else altogether.

Indeed, Iori has already solved both of his, giving them with nothing but a weird sense of apathy back to their head of research. He’d have most likely given their colleague a witty remark would have this been in any normal circumstances; but the silence is deafening, and she just can’t focus on her puzzle anymore.

Instead, her fingers do their own little thing while most of her brain focuses on a conversation happening near her. If she isn’t operating or taking care of a patient, perhaps she can allow herself to wallow a little in her concern…

“You seem outta it, small Izumi. Is there something wrong?”

“Why does that matter to you, Yaotome? As far as I know, we’re nothing more than colleagues.”

“Well then, no need to snap at me like that, you brat! I get it, you’re concerned for your brother, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to be shitty with other people ’round here! We’ve got the same objective there; I’d let you know!”

Tsumugi finishes the first puzzle quite quickly considering how uninteresting it’s become, so she picks up the second one and tries shutting her ears off so she can quickly find her way out of it. She does have some success reaching that objective, quickly finding the right combination of pieces and where to put them, despite the struggle of a bigger, more complex board. She’s wondering if Gaku isn’t fiddling with them a little…

All things considered, if he’s doing that, it’d probably be his way to let some steam out while the pressure of having to find the cure to heal their director must be crushing him more than he lets on. What a man, though, for putting up with so much expectations so well… She’d have probably crumbled upon the weight of the stakes on her shoulders if she were in his place. At least, when she operates on GUILT victims, Iori is with her, so she doesn’t feel as alone as he must do when he’s all by himself in his lab, staring at charts and trying to figure a solution out.

In silence, she keeps the board next to her as she tunes back into their conversation. However, Gaku notices she’s finished, so he picks it up and starts talking to her instead.

“Heh, good job! This should do nicely. Thanks for the help, guys. You may think it’s small, but it’s nonetheless got an impact.”

“Be honest, Yaotome. Has this even been useful, or have you just been playing around with us?”

“Tch, you’re really snappy these days, ain’t you? If you want an answer, however, I’d say you both contributed to around… two percent. If I take in account the rest of the people I asked to help, that’d be five percent. That gave me more than enough data, so the cure should be finished in no time.”

“And how long is “no time”, huh? My brother doesn’t have eternity to spare, Yaotome. If you don’t get that cure fast, we’ll…”

Gaku’s sudden piercing, furious glare plunging straight into Iori’s startles her more than it startles the latter.

“I _know_ that, Izumi. You think I wanna let Mitsuki down?!”

“If you’d stop tooting your own horn and find that damn cure already, then we wouldn’t be having that conversation!!”

Gaku stops for a moment, about to throw another wave of anger onto the nurse judging by how high his shoulders quickly rise; but he exchanges glances with her and, instead, lowers them back, sighs and throws his head backwards. She hasn’t heard about him being any reasonable yet, more like the complete opposite, and yet, even without Ryuu’s peacemaker role around…

“…we’re both just so sleep-deprived, ain’t we?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

He finally tilts his head forward again. On it figures a smirk rather than fury.

“You’re just worried sick for your brother, ain’t you?” _No pun intended_ ; she assumes. “That’s gotta be what makes you so easy to upset, these days. You’re usually made of iron.”

“What’s with the sudden flip-flop now?”

“Tch, even when I try being nice you’re weary… I get it, you don’t want to be too hopeful so, if I were to fail, your grief would be lesser. I’d probably be as stressed as you are if I were in your shoes. Looking at someone dying before your eyes isn’t a pleasant experience.”

Iori doesn’t respond, instead lowering his head as he bites his lip. Gaku walks up to him and puts a hand on his shoulder, weirdly solemn in his manners.

“Just know Caduceus’s here for you. Not me, cause I can’t speak for the sake of me, but everyone else’s a go. You’re the chief’s lil’ brother, it only makes sense. Plus, I’m sure your surgeon wouldn’t mind burdening some of the weight on her shoulders, right?”

He winks at her with a saddened face.

“I’ll let the two of you go, now. I need to finish the cure for Mitsuki. Take care.”

Tsumugi gets off from her stool and gives her hand to Iori, right as Gaku lifts his from his shoulder. Her assistant takes hers and they leave, in silence, their fingers not detaching. Not that she’d have noticed it if it weren’t for Iori stopping her right as they get out of the lab, the door closing back behind him with a loud locking noise following shortly thereafter: she was too focused on him to even realize that or be embarrassed about it.

Without a word, she picks him in her arms, soon feeling tears wetting a part of her uniform. She doesn’t know what she could say, unable to really relate to a younger sibling’s anguish, so she provides him with the physical comfort he seems to be in a dire need for, gently rubbing his back until his sorrow ends.

They may be helpless while they’re waiting for Gaku’s cure to arrive, but they’re damn well helpless _together_ , and that means they can and will help each other. She’s making it her mission, from now on.


	47. Big Damn Heroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT IV: Synthetic Plague- Chapter 10]  
> Tsumugi, Gaku, Iori, and the end of the new GUILT around the block.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the end of the Pempti arc! Featuring more crumbs and more emotional turmoil.

For the first time in forever, Tsumugi finds herself in her director’s bedroom all on her own, without either Iori or Gaku. That may be for the better, considering what weird conversation went down yesterday when they were in the lab. She sits on a chair next to the bed while he smiles at her, weakened, pale, yet not looking any defeated.

“…How are you feeling, Director?” She asks. His first name escapes her grasp, as if walled from her lips.

“Heh… Good question. I think “bad” or “in pain” just doesn’t cut it. Just go ahead and kill Delphi before they can kill anyone with their bullshit letters and horrible diseases.”

“Of course.”

“Still… I’m glad to finally be playing a part.” Despite how strained his voice is, Mitsuki sounds like a hero, shining brighter than the sunlight piercing through the curtains of the room. “I can’t operate on patients or research cures. If I gotta be patient zero, then I’ll be. I’m you guys’ director and I know we’re all fighting for a just cause. I won’t give up, not until we find a treatment, and especially not when I know how concerned Iori’s been for me. That guy hasn’t slept in _days_!”

“How do you know that?”

“Easy: he’s my brother.”

“It makes sense, I suppose…”

“Speaking of which,” Mitsuki’s voice and expression dull. “Please bring Iori to his bed. I think he’s getting sick, and I very much really doubt it’s Pempti.”

“I’ll do.”

“Thank you,” he tells her with a little smile.

The day continues on, the air around the place anxious, almost smothering with an unfelt heat. She does her rounds with a concerned Tamaki, an openly worried Nagi and a staggering Iori whose sense of balance has seen much better days not so long ago (although it does feel like an eternity). Even Dr Orikasa, on his last day of hospitalization, points out how out-of-it her assistant nurse is.

That’s, however, until Banri enters the room with Gaku tailing behind him. Judging by how serious and stern their expressions are, she gets the feeling this won’t be any cakewalk of a conversation. And, considering what’s been happening recently, she can already picture herself with a scalpel in her hands…

“Listen up, everyone,” Banri starts as they all gather around. “Director Izumi is getting weaker and weaker by the day. While it’d seem hopeless, I guarantee you he’ll do everything in his power to survive. In fact, in all of my career, I’ve rarely seen anyone so adamant on living. We at least owe him to remove the GUILT festering inside his chest. I only want everyone here to focus on the operation, as I’ll handle everything else you could be concerned about. Dr Yaotome, please explain our plan of attack for this procedure.”

“Got it. But first, we need to get into our pre-op room. It’s gonna be a doozy.”

They’re all stuck in a tense silence as they follow the directions, heading straight for the room in question. There, and as she can barely take in a breath without feeling some sort of pain, whether it be physical or mental (but, in all cases, is due to stress and anxieties piling up), she watches Gaku get out a couple notes, this time cleanly spelt on a paper sheet, itself put on a clipboard.

“Pay attention, because what I’m gonna say will be important.” Nobody objects. “I developed a new kind of laser specifically for this procedure. Last time, we found that a single core unifies all of the Pempti cells. Even if most of the tissue is lost, the core can just reboot everything, and it’s back to square one. Even when we destroyed the core, it just _restored itself_ , so we can’t do that either. It must have some sort of reproduction pattern for core regeneration must exit in _each individual cell_. In other words, that thing’s got a wicked contingency plan. So I thought up a lil’ contingency plan of my own to go against that: use the nanomachine to lure out the core, like last time, and then use our shiny new laser to destroy the cure while it tries regenerating its tissues. Ain’t that different from before. Should be easy enough.”

As soon as the tirade ends, and right as Banri is about to ask something, Iori shoots Gaku a glare.

“Dr Yaotome, are you sure that this new laser will work? And how?”

“Good question there,” Gaku replies with some dry wit. “It leaves less than 1% of the core protein behind, a lot less than your regular laser. It’s guaranteed to work, even against that bastard. But that laser will also cause serious damage to any human tissue if mishandled, so you’re gonna have to be careful about it.”

“I see,” Banri comments before he glances at her. “Since there isn’t much time left, we have to get the operation forward anyway. You can absolutely do it, Tsumugi.”

“Yes sir.”

The conference ends there and they all head for the OR next. However, before she can go into the changing rooms, she feel someone grip her arm from behind her. When she turns around, she is indirectly faced with Iori, whose eyes are staring at the floor.

“Is there something wrong?” She asks, noticing his very atypical behaviour.

“Doctor, I…” His voice is trembling and so are the fingers holding onto her. “I beg of you…”

He lifts his head, revealing tears spilling from his eyes and a shuddering breath that makes his chest shake with every inspiration.

“Please… please save my brother… That’s… all I’ll ever ask…”

Without a second thought, she picks his hands in hers, trying to give him an earnest smile.

“I’m going to save him, Iori. I _promise_.”

She lets go of one of his hands to retrieve the pack of tissues she always has on her. He accepts, finally giving her a sheepish, almost invisible smile, as they finally go into the changing room, the anxiety suddenly flaring back up.

In the OR, she gets to see Anesagi taking care of the anaesthesia while Gaku waits for her to join him. She’s once again forced to open her director’s chest back up, still unpleased, if not even more so than she was before. She can only sympathize with Iori’s frustration about the situation. The latter is standing in front of her, on the other side of the table, the mask on his mouth hiding most of his feelings.

“Do everything exactly like last time until the core shows up,” he indicates her.

It’s almost routine, at this point, so she reproduces everything she’s done so far: inject the right concoctions at the right time, watch the ectoplasm reduce in size, and then stare at the core at it rises from the abyss. When it finally shows up, Gaku doesn’t miss a beat, immediately handing her the laser.

“There! Use it to destroy it!” He practically yells as she turns it on and carries the task.

It burns away, disappearing from sight.

“Hahaha! Take that, you little shit!” He gloats with a warm pride. And yet…

“Something’s wrong,” Iori comments, solemn and cold. “If the core was destroyed, then why hasn’t the tissue receded in the slightest?”

“ _Shit_ , you’re right, there _is_ something wrong here.”

Before their eyes reappears the core, stronger than ever, emerging from the darkness and suddenly sending waves of smaller cores around it, pink and shaped like blades. She won’t wait around to see what these do.

“Quick! Use the laser to destroy these things!” Gaku yells right before she does so, getting rid of all of them in a timely manner. That was a close call.

“This must be an adaptable mutation”, Iori, who’s since then walked to their side of the table, comments again.

“Would you mind explaining?” As always, Tsumugi realizes her assistant is the more knowledgeable of their pair. That’s just part of his strengths as the “perfect nurse”.

“It’s a mutation lucky lower life forms can develop to piss people off. Some bacteria can alter their tissue as protection against heat or cold, so they can adapt to pretty much any extreme environmental condition. Adaptable mutation sounds like something straight out of some video game about pandemics, but here it is. Right in front of us. Taking a piss at us.”

“Except that’s not a defensive mutation – it’s an _offensive_ one!”

Right as Iori says so, a new sort of small cores fly out of the main one, blue and yellow, spinning around.

“Be careful, Doctor!” He interjects as, in a reflex she starts lasering them. Alas, one of them escapes from her grasp and pollutes the lung with tumours before disappearing.

“Iori, take care of the tumours, please!” She urges him when she notices they have a regular surgical laser running around. He silently complies, preparing antibiotic gel while he’s there.

“Where’d all these tumours come from anyway?!” Gaku growls next to her. “Dammit, what’s going on?!”

Well, she really doesn’t know, but she can see a third type of cores have appeared. These are the simplest to deal so far, as they quickly burn under the laser she can just use over the main core and watch them disappear while she can damage the big one a little in the meantime.

However, and much to their luck, the Pempti stops for a little while, leaving them with an opportunity to breathe out.

“Wait,” Iori suddenly speaks up again. “If the Pempti is reacting this drastically, then we must have it cornered in some capacity.”

“That means the laser’s working!” Tsumugi happily chimes in. “Let’s move forward with the procedure!”

As if hearing her, Pempti becomes active again, this time spawning waves in random orders. On each wave, she lasers most of the miniature cores and asks Iori to take care of smaller tumours or to inject stabilizer whenever he himself denotes the vitals dropping to dangerously low levels. Silence is key, every single word they usher will be critical to the operation, and her focus may be even more concentrated than her laser.

It’s a stressing procedure, of course. There are a lot of stakes at hand by virtue of how much Caduceus Director Izumi Mitsuki matters to people: more than their director, he’s a colleague, a friend, a son, and a brother _in this very OR_. But that’s not just Mitsuki: they’re creating a treatment to save so many other lives too. She can’t mess up – none of them can, in fact – and she’s aware of that. She pushes the thoughts away and focuses entirely back onto what her hands are supposed to be doing.

When she watches the ectoplasm mysteriously melt away to oblivion, Tsumugi feels like her head just got pulled from underwater.

“Let me check the Chiral reaction…” Iori says, a little doubtful. “It’s negative. Good job, Doctor,” he adds, sounding more exhausted by the second.

“Let’s end this once and for all, then,” she adds as she stitches her cut shut one last time, applies gel, and puts on the bandage. Satisfaction flows down her veins, serotonin pumping right down her nerves.

“Okay, now that’s over with, I’m going home to crash down on my sofa. Get some rest too, it’s been a rough week.”

On these very relatable words from their head researcher, they all exit the OR.

When they gain back the lounge, Banri is here to congratulate them. Relief has washed all over him, his voice and stance finally as smiling as she’s used to.

“That was excellent work, everyone!”

“Heh, Mitsuki did a lot of the work himself. That guy’s as tough as he’s rumoured to be.”

“Well, you all fought hard, including Mitsuki. It’s time for everyone to take a much-deserved rest.”

“My work here’s done, so I’m takin’ off. See ya,” Gaku states as he leaves the room.

“I’ll be by my brother’s side, if you need me.”

They all watch him leave too, and her question to him drops in too late for him to hear.

“Wait, Iori, shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

Banri puts a hand on her shoulder right as she’s about to go after him.

“Let him have this moment with Mitsuki, Tsumugi. I’m certain they have a lot to tell each other.”

“He’s… He’s going to wake up, right?”

“I really doubt Mitsuki got won over by this, and that’s despite him having suffered through this without painkillers.”

Her blood freezes on the spot.

“W-what?! Why?! Oh my God…”

“Painkillers would’ve interfered with the results, so he hid his pain away. He fought against GUILT by himself, and that’s why I think he’ll make it out, even with three operations done on him. If he survives until tomorrow, he’ll make it.”

“I… sincerely hope you’re right…”

“Now, shall I drive you back home, Tsumugi? You look both shaken and exhausted. You may be afraid for both Izumi brothers at the moment, but I’m afraid for you too.”

“I’ll take you up on the offer,” she replies. “I need to breathe something else than Caduceus’s air.”


	48. Bedside Vigil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT IV: Synthetic Plague - Chapter 11]  
> After effort comes comfort. Kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is technically the end of the Pempti arc of the games and, of course, doesn't contain any operation. It's also one of the saddest things in all of TC. I'd have made a joke about busting out the track that plays during that scene, but its UTK version's name is actually a spoiler.

She’s in Banri’s office when the news drop. As expected of the iron-willed, passionately burning, determined Izumi Mitsuki, he’s already regained consciousness despite the brutal harshness of the physical trauma his body got put through. Of course, that means Tsumugi has rushed out of the office without asking any additional question to Banri, barely excusing herself as she follows Tamaki to the surgical ward.

She expected her fears to keep her up last night, but the exhaustion of a tense operation and previous bad nights made it laughably easy for her to fall asleep. That doesn’t mean she feels fully rejuvenated yet, but she’s lucky there: Ryuu and Banri accepted that she could take this day more easily, as the Pempti saga was tough on everyone on staff. She even got a congratulation message from Yuki and Momo!

When she gets to the room, waving Tamaki goodbye as he goes back to Nagi’s side, she knocks on the door, then enters. It’s calm, oddly much so, with a weakened Mitsuki silently lying in bed and Iori crooked over himself, back round. He almost doesn’t turn around when she gets near the bed, opting to stay up.

“Good afternoon!” she greets them with almost too much cheerfulness considering the atmosphere.

“Good afternoon to you too,” Mitsuki replies, his voice weak and groggy. That last procedure must have taken a real toll on him.

“Good… afternoon…?” Iori, however, sounds utterly confused.

She looks over the patient’s chart, relieved to see most of his vitals are slowly going back up.

“Thanks for savin’ me, Tsumugi. I owe Gaku, Iori and you a lot on this one.”

“O-oh, no need to thank us! We only accomplished our mission as doctors, nothing more. How are you feeling?”

“Sore, tired… but relieved.”

“Ban… Dr Ogami told me you went through the entire ordeal without painkillers. I’m… I’m really grateful for your dedication to our research, but…”

“What’s done, is done, Tsumugi. I did that on my own volition with Tamaki’s agreement and Banri knew about it. They’d have probably injected me with some if I’d been in too bad of a shape.”

“I see. The good news is that, if you survived last night, I expect you to make a full recovery!”

“And the bad?” Iori asks, almost cynically so.

Terrible question to ask, Iori! Now she doesn’t know where to put herself…

“You’re… going to have to stay put for a little while… Hahaha…”

Mitsuki looks utterly unpleased at first, but eventually smirks.

“Heh, to be expected… I’ll ask Banri to take my role in the meantime, then… Well, until I can hold a laptop, that is…”

“Big brother, you should be resting—”

“That’s _rich_ comin’ from you, Iori.”

An uncomfortable silence sits in as the undertones of that seep through her skull.

“Oh, that’s right,” she tries picking the ball up despite that. “Iori, did you go home after the procedure, yesterday?”

“Is… It’s tomorrow already?”

Mitsuki and she stare at each other, then back at him.

“You’ve been here all night-long?!”

“Had to make sure that my brother would make it.”

“Iori, it’s…” She glances at her watch to make sure she isn’t saying something stupid, only for her throat to knot and gulp. “It’s _four in the afternoon_! You should be home by now, in bed!”

“I can’t go back home, Tsumugi. I need to make sure my brother’s safe. Can’t do that from my apartment, now, can I?”

“Go to _fucking sleep_ , Iori.”

Mitsuki, despite his direly weakened condition, makes his stance firm. She can almost see shivers going down her assistant’s spine.

“B-but, big brother, what if—”

“I’ll be _fine_. If I need someone, I’ll call for Tamaki or someone else, I dunno, I’ll see. Just… Just go to bed, please…”

The fluttering of Mitsuki’s eyelids doesn’t reassure either of them.

“D-don’t die on me, big brother!!”

“’ain’t dyin’…. ’am just fallin’ back ’sleep…”

The phrasing is clumsy, but no words will ever stop the order of a battered, recovering body trying to heal itself back into shape; and the three of them know that very much.

Silence comes back into the room, stunning them into wordlessness. Well, in truth, it’s so they can hear their director’s breathing too: if someone’s chest rises and goes down, whether it be at a regular or irregular pace, then it means they’re still amongst the realm of the living (she’s purposefully going to ignore the specific cases where that wouldn’t hold up for now). That’s the case here, of course.

She watches Iori put a hand on his brother’s chest, his hand holding his. Usually, he’d have been the one scrutinizing every detail about her, but today, she’s the one making a list of all the little (or not so little) things she can see on him: the deep rings right under his eyes, his quick breathing, his fluttering eyelids that he keeps opening back up. The poor boy must be as exhausted as he looks, so she better find a solution to bring him to the rightful resting spot he deserves soon…

“The past couple weeks have been fairly stressful, haven’t they?” She asks, hoping he’ll bite her bait.

“They sure have.” His voice may not be as weakened as her brother’s, but slurs more easily. “I’m relieved this is ending well. I got… scared, to be frank.”

“Anyone’d have been if put in your situation, Iori.” She bends down, putting a hand on his shoulder, feeling an unnatural heat radiating from under his uniform. He looks like he’s about to fall asleep right here and there. “That’s why you should take some rest. Consider our shift over.”

“I… I told you, I need to be by my brother’s side… I can’t… go home…”

“I understand your feeling, I was the same way when Dr Orikasa was hospitalized here. You’re the one who pointed out to me I should rather be in bed than dozing off next to my recovering mentor. Plus, you’ve heard Mitsuki. He’s safe, _you’re_ safe.”

Suddenly helpless, she watches Iori rise up from his chair, eyes glassy and sense of balance uncertain. She’s about to hold onto him just so he doesn’t fall.

“On the other hand, did _you_ sleep, Tsumugi?”

“Of course I did! Banri drove me back home yesterday. Your misconception of time is really worrying me, you should go to bed… At least, eat a little something, I doubt you’ve eaten anything in the past twenty-four hours.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Now that’s somehow _even more_ concerning.”

He sways again, eyes looking in no direction whatsoever. He doesn’t reply.

“Iori?”

No answer again. She waves her hand in front of his face.

“Iori? Can you hear me?”

Before she can get an answer, his eyes roll back inside his skull with no warning of any sort.

“Iori!! Please respond!!”

Tsumugi almost doesn’t catch him in his fall, panicked and astonished, but somehow manages to do so anyway, slowly crouching down before pressing the Call for Nurse button. Poor boy, he’s definitely reached his limit, and the heat slipping between her fingers isn’t reassuring her on that possibility…Well, that was bound to happen, she guesses. Even bedside vigils need their rest, don’t they?

To her relief, Tamaki comes in soon afterwards, first casually strolling in, only to shortly after panic at the sight before his eyes. He rushes to her side, then kneels right beside her, concern all over his features, a very understandable feeling if you ask her.

“W-what happened to Iorin?!” He asks.

“Tamaki, can you please help me get Iori to my office?” She asks. “I’ll reply to your question once we’ve got that taken care of.”

He doesn’t seem to really understand why her office of all places in this facility would be a good spot for someone who just collapsed, yet goes along with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If Emmy ever reads this she's probably gonna come for me because I was a coward and didn't kill off my counterpart to Richard, and I'll have deserved it.


	49. Caretaker Reversal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT IV: Synthetic Plague - Chapter 12]  
> See the truth in a cup of antipyretics.

The first thing Iori knows when he wakes up is that he has to have made a big, big mistake. Not that he’d know which one – and that’s why he’s not losing his somewhat non-existent composure – but because, to be frank, his brain has nothing to envy to scrambled eggs at the moment.

He doesn’t find the strength nor reason to get up from bed. It isn’t the most comfortable place ever and the very faint odour of medicine in the air tells him right away he isn’t home, quite the opposite: this smells like work. That has to be Caduceus, but why would he be _sleeping_ at _Caduceus_ in the _middle of the day_? The light burning itself onto his eyes when they finally open isn’t artificial at all. He then hears faraway paper shuffling, then sneakers squeaking against the linoleum floor, and that’s when he knows where he is: if it’s not home, then it may as well be the closest alternative to it.

“Ah, Iori, you’re awake!” The very familiar voice of Dr Takanashi comes to his ears, muffled, getting closer. “How are you?”

He wants to reply with something witty like “good question” or “I don’t know, _do you_?”, but, truth be told, he’s not feeling that nefarious today. Blame it on the pounding headache and the chills and his scrambled braincells trying to put together coherent thoughts. So, instead, he replies honestly.

“Sore… What happ’ned?”

“You, hum… _sort of_ collapsed in Mitsuki’s room, so I asked Tamaki to help me bring you here. You gave me quite a scare!”

He’d probably want to bolt up awake and sitting; but his lack of energy doesn’t agree with that prospect.

She kneels next to what he can now certainly guess is the bed in her office. It originally wasn’t there, but she decided to put one there so it’d feel more like her office at Kibou and, as such, give her a sense of familiarity in an entirely different work environment. Of course, she didn’t make Caduceus pay for it, instead using some money she had spared from her salary. It’s more comfortable than he thought it’d be when first seeing it (as far as he can remember, that is).

He hears the sound of something emerging from water, then of fabric being twisted. Before he can really guess why that is, he sees her hands wipe his face with a cold washcloth (the sensation is surprisingly comfortable), then, after twisting into water and cool it down again, lie it flat on his forehead. It feels like it’s been well over a decade since he’s last been in such a situation, stuck in bed with someone hovering over him like that… The last time may as well have been when he was an overworked nursing school student getting taken care of by his brother.

Wait, _Mitsuki_! Where is he? Is he okay? He needs to check up—

“You’re not going anywhere, Iori,” Tsumugi tells him a gentle, yet scolding voice while her hands slowly press on his chest, bringing him back against the mattress.

“B-but…!”

“If it were for me, I’d have brought you to my place to take care of you, but I figured you’d be anxious if you were too far away from your brother, so you’re in my office instead. Just stay in bed, relax as much as you can and rest, okay? Everyone else is taking care of everything.”

“Who’s with my brother?”

“Banri, Tamaki and Nagi are taking turns. They promised to warn me if anything went wrong, but so far, nothing has! I’ve, however, been told Mitsuki missed his parents’ baking and, as a result, now wants to increase our inpatient food budget. Banri told him he’d have to look over the finances and see if he can, indeed, do that.”

“I see,” he chuckles a little, easily yet flawlessly picturing his older brother fussing over a laptop and trying his hardest not to let Dr Ogami sail the Caduceus ship without him.

Tsumugi continues the conversation, now sitting on what must be a stool. She spins around a little, as if nervously turning the seat.

“Ah, your parents came by today too! They thanked me, so I told them Gaku and you also did your part.”

He has no idea what she’s giving him credit for, yet he doesn’t feel like telling her that. Blame the sparkle of gratitude in her eyes.

“What did they say…?”

“They were very relieved for Mitsuki, of course. They promised me that, next time Gaku or I go to their bakery, we’ll get something for free, then lifetime discounts on everything. They also thanked me for looking after you, but when they asked about you and I told them you were out of commission, they suddenly turned very sullen… So I promised them I’d give them news as soon as you’d have woken up. They even gave me their phone number for that…”

As if to illustrate her words, she gets her phone out of her lab coat’s pocket, then scrolls through what must be her contact list. She must have accumulated a lot of numbers over the years, for her to spend so long on it… Well, that’s not that surprising, on second thought.

Why would it be? First and foremost, Takanashi Tsumugi is a surgeon. She must have the numbers of their colleagues, her former ones and of some people in her former medical school. Knowing her, she probably has some urgency numbers to phone to on the go. He’s also certain she must at least have the numbers of Sunohara and of family members, be it parents, cousins, siblings, uncles, aunts, or grandparents.

Plus, who wouldn’t want to be friends with someone like Takanashi Tsumugi? She’s a warm, kind-hearted, generous person. She’s selflessly devoted to a just cause and will defend it if prompted to by the circumstances. Her good intentions have touched the hearts of many, from Dr Orikasa to his brother. She’s lovable and, as such, she can only be loved. Presumably, she has the numerous numbers of even more numerous friends, and she may as well have never been alone without wanting to. She can’t have been any less than the popular girl at school, the beautiful girl next door who’s as well-meaning as she is pretty to look at. Her aura is reassuring, her voice is soft.

And he keeps hearing it, even when she doesn’t speak, even when he’s home alone with nothing but music in the background and the idea to finally get himself a pet.

“Tell them I’ll pay them a visit once I’m not braindead anymore,” he tells her.

“Oh, huh… Sure then!”

Wait, is she unironically, literally typing the very stupid, _obviously sarcastic_ thing he’s just said?

“And… sent! I’ll tell you what they’ve replied once they do.”

God, he now wants to bury himself into a hole of shame knowing _that’s_ what she just sent to his parents. Maybe that, if he faces the wall instead of her, he’ll feel less like his face is on fire…

“Is there something wrong, Iori?”

“N-nothing…”

She frets over him too much. He’s a grown man, a responsible adult with personal agency, a salary, and rights. If he didn’t hate alcohol, he could drink some and know when to stop. He hates watching her get so worried, so concerned, especially if it’s over such trivial matters; but being easily worried comes with having a heart as big as hers. She simply loves people too much, too quickly, too intensely not to be concerned when he’s running a fever.

She’s merely determined to make the best out of things, after all. This could be why she’s the best person he’s ever met, aside from his brother. He used to find her some flaws, such as her lack of a professional persona, her occasional bits of clumsiness or her mess of an office. However, and he’s realizing that even when he doesn’t see her hypnotizing eyes, he now finds her close to perfection. He finds her lack of persona to be a good sign in a world where lies and ignorance are the worst of humanity’s diseases (not to mention she _is_ professional when she needs to, now). He finds her bits of clumsiness to be cute and endearing, as they’re never in the OR anymore. Her office is now clean and she asks him for advice on it, as if he was her superior in the close-to-inexistent hierarchy of Caduceus.

And he doesn’t quite know what to make of it, except it’s been his lesser, sweeter source of mental turmoil. Now that his brother will most likely be safe, in great part because _Tsumugi_ is the one to have operated on him, this is the only thing he’s left fighting in his confused mind.

“I keep thinking to how it must have been terrifying for you to go through… Seeing your own brother so ill, fighting for his life and for a cure in his own way, while you can only stand here, helpless… It’s a horrifying experience, isn’t it?”

“You’ve been through that before?”

He turns back to her, only to see a saddened smile on her face. It stings.

“Ah, yeah, I did. My mom died when I was young, and all I could was watch her condition worsen and worsen, until she was gone. I stood there, scared and useless, while my dad tried his best to save her. He… didn’t. He tried, but he didn’t, and then he disappeared too, one day…”

She sniffles in her own sorrow, and he wants to say something that will comfort her, but all he can gather doing is to clench her against him.

As sudden as it is, she leans into the embrace, her hands reaching in his back. She doesn’t cry, doesn’t let even a wail or a tear past the initial ones, and that’s when she hides her face into his chest. When she gets it out of there, her tears are gone, but her eyes are still bright and her smile is a little lopsided. She’s nothing but strong, even in the face of adversity and pain that has been brought up to the surface.

He feels a sort of second heat radiate through him. It’s nothing like the fever that makes sweat pearl on his skin, it’s got nothing to do with the chills spreading all across his body. In fact, when her hands touch him, even if it’s just by an inch, he sense something else course through his nerves, as if stroke with flutters. He may have been more touch-starved than he thought himself to be until now.

They split apart soon after. Most of the sadness on her face has disappeared in the short while it lasted: of course, and as expected from an orphaned surgeon, she has high resilience. Surely, he’d have never expected her to be made out of steel hiding under a layer of silk, as laughable as that statement is now that he knows about a part of her past. He’d have never guessed, but what can he say? He’s never been good at reading people, merely decent at pretending he is.

“I didn’t mean to burden you with all this, my apologies…” She tells him in the soft-spoken, ashamed tone he was somewhat used to hear her speak in whenever he’d scold her too harshly. “You’re in no condition to become my secret diary!”

“It’s… it’s fine, I don’t mind,” his voice is suddenly hesitant.

“I should let you rest, though… Do you need anything from me? You know, like a nice cup of tea? I must have my camomile tea somewhere around the office, it was a present from Yuki… Oh, maybe you’re hungry, I can always go fetch you something in the lounge’s vending machine!”

“I’m all good.”

Wait.

“Actually, there’s one thing I want to ask.”

“Sure thing.”

“For how long was I out?”

“Hmm… I’d say around a day, but you woke up before, only to mutter something and fall back asleep, and that’s when your fever broke. Since you’d tell me not to bring you anywhere outside Caduceus, I didn’t have the heart to move you from my office. My shift ended like half an hour ago, so I was about to ask your parents to possibly pick you up…”

“I… said that?”

“Yeah! You also called me by my first name, when you did that. Not that I mind, I was just a little surprised!”

Hm, this conversation is starting to feel awkward, so he should probably switch topics before his head can sink further into his mattress.

“And my brother?”

“Ah, right! Mitsuki’s been recovering smoothly. Nagi estimated he could be discharged in two weeks, when he’ll have gained back enough strength to do so! Isn’t that great news?”

“It is.”

“I’m going to fetch you something to eat, something easy to digest. Be right back!”

He watches her leave, head fully falling back into the pillow. It’s weird to think she’s even real, that they had the chance to meet, let alone work together and accomplish so much by each other’s side. He has no idea what she thinks of him but, from how careful she’s been treating his ill self, he can only assume she at least genuinely respects him as an individual. Didn’t she also request him to call her by her given name? That must mean he’s worth a lot to her eyes…

Still, there’s no point in rising false hope. She probably sees him as nothing more than a close friend at most. They haven’t known each other for that long: falling for each other would make their lives sound like some sort of absurdly fast fairy tale. There is no rescue romance here, no love at first sight, no soulmate and no red string of fate. All there is to it is a beyond-average working relationship. Nothing more, nothing less… He… he can’t have possibly fallen in love with her, can he?

No, that’s ridiculous. He’s a _nurse_. She’s a _surgeon_. He assists her with every procedure they are asked with or, more accurately, they come across. He can’t have fallen in love with a superior, can he? They’re strictly friendly workmates. That’s how it should be. There’s no romance in the OR. There’s no affection in the ER. There’s none of that crap he’s seen on TV here. He isn’t in love. He _can’t_ be in love. That’s literally all there is to it. That’s all there’s ever been to it. That’s all there’s ever going to be to it.

He can’t be in that sort of love anyway because it sounds childish, because it sounds unrealistic. He’s a sharp-minded, somewhat ill-mannered man whose only loves are platonic. He loves his brother, his parents, and he loves her too, but he loves her like he’d love a close workmate, which she is. He doesn’t want anything more to do with Takanashi than assist her in her procedures, scold her for having a messy office.

Except that’s all a big, unsustainable _lie_.

That’s a lie, because he wants to know more about her than just her schedule and what tool she’s going to use next. He wants to know what she likes, what she watches once she’s off work, what her favourite flavours are (she mentioned Neapolitan being her favourite combination, once, and it’s just stuck around his mind ever since), what she does on the weekends, what hobbies she’s picked up over the years, what music she listens to when taking public transportation or at home while she’s cleaning the place. She fascinates him and he can’t deny her that.

And that’s a lie because he’s compared the types of love he feels. This just doesn’t feel the same way. It’s like inserting a heart-shaped block in a star-shaped slot: it just won’t come in because it’s the wrong category. He’s been stupid to even try convincing himself he felt the same way towards Mitsuki than towards her.

As she comes back to him, holding a bag of fruit snacks and a bar of white chocolate, thinking out loud in the middle of Caduceus as if this very public place were her own home, Iori can only admit himself vanquished.

He’s in love, and that won’t change anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're finishing this act with a 100% original chapter that has always been planned as the point of no-return. From now on, this story won't disguise its IoTsumu route. If you thought I was gonna be trash in this fic too, you have been bamboozled by my Trojan horse, and I'd be sorry, but I'm actually not.  
> also it was mega fun to write, it must be my favorite chapter so far


	50. Devil's Job Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [INTERMISSION ΔELTA]  
> Yamato gives someone a new kidney in totally not shady conditions for totally not shady reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, we're finishing off this act with Yams shenanigans, featuring even more Tie-Guy.  
> And, idk, I love this potty mouth of a shady dude.

Every single time he finds himself back into the decrepit hospital rotting away, Yamato wonders why he hasn’t dropped the shady partnership of doom yet, only to remember right afterwards doing that would be beyond stupid of him. He’s got to earn money some way and these guys could easily ruin his life if they chose to. He may not be vain enough to treasure any sort of reputation, he still knows how damaging it can be for someone in his field of profession to be smeared. He’s been through it once, he doesn’t need to live it again, thank you very much.

So that’s why he doesn’t say anything of it when confronted by Tie-Guy again, or when they’re in his car. It looks like a date and he supposes he’s getting meals out of this; but that’d be comparing earning money by working at a bank and getting money by robbing the exact same bank. Actually, he needs to go to the bank withdraw some money later, he’ll do that once he’s done with whatever bullshit is in store for today.

It sounds like a terrible idea to start a conversation with Tie-Guy while they’re sitting in the same car. The guy has been more silent than stone until now, and yet, he feels like opening a conversation. It really sounds like a terrible idea, but he apparently likes living dangerously, so he may as well try.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

Tie-Guy rises his head from the rear-view mirror, as nonchalantly as usual.

“What is it?”

“How did you even end up here? You don’t even seem that evil or fascinated in any sort by fucked-up surgery.”

“What do you want? A way to blackmail me?”

“That’d be stupid, you could easily blackmail me back. I just got curious. You don’t exactly come across people who speak fluent Japanese on every street corner around here.”

Tie-Guy only gives him a sigh. Well, he supposes making chit-chat with someone he isn’t meant to have small talk with would only give him that. Forgive him for trying to have a normal talk, for once.

“I’m here because of my brother,” Tie-Guy replies in Japanese.

Well, he better switch languages too, then. It’ll be even more awkward if he continues speaking in

“Your brother?”

“My _twin_ brother, to be exact. Don’t expect to ever see him in the streets, he still lives in Japan and it’s better that way.”

“How did you end up at Delphi, then?”

Tie-Guy’s gaze is the softest he’s ever seen it be. It’s such an odd feeling to see coming from this dude, who’s always otherwise been expressionless, angry or frustrated. Perhaps he’s even seen him be bored beyond his mind and wasn’t able to tell. Again, that’s besides the point.

“To protect him from _them_ ,” Tie-Guy answers with nothing short of hatred in his voice. “That’s why I chose to move to America too. Now, it’s all I can tell you, so stop probing around.”

“Gotcha.”

After this short exchange, the trip remains silent. He’d have figured this much.

Once he gets there, it’s business as usual: he’s standing in front of a naked guy covered in plastic tarp with not one, but two shady-looking guys by his sides. What a _joy_.

“The kidney is on its way, ETA is one hour,” Tie-Guy stated, the stick back to being firmly shoved down his rectum. “Plan out your operation with that in mind.”

“Honestly, I’m more concerned about that tumour you told me about; but go off, I guess.”

The guy in the background, whose face is always trying to hide itself in the shadows, steps up.

“You’ll need to excise the tumour before you can perform the kidney transplant. Otherwise, those veins are going to bleed out, and you’ll have serious complications.”

“You really ain’t concerned at all that this guy’s body could reject that kidney?”

“We already know that this GUILT severely inhibits the autoimmune response. As you can imagine, that all but eliminates any such risk. We’re more than confident the kidney won’t be rejected by its new host.”

“Alright, alright, prof. But this better not be some sort of sacrificial operation. I’m a surgeon, not the dude who rips people’s hearts out so the god of the sun can eat ’em.”

“Yes, we’re quite familiar with your contract, Dr Nikaido,” Tie-Guy chimes in. “I assure you, all your patients are people we expect to see back at work.”

“Well then, Dr Nikaido, I think everything is clear. Please begin the operation.”

 _“Let’s do this shit,”_ he thinks to himself.

He finally puts on his scrubs as he analyses the patient’s profile. He has to announce everything he’s planning on doing whenever someone ranked high in their weirdly sensical hierarchy is nearby, so it’s time for him to ramble like he’s some sort of bad drama protagonist doing some exposition for the sake of the viewer, because that’s always been one of his favourites!

“Since we’re waiting on that kidney, I might as well get started on the tumour. I can’t transplant the kidney without that thing gone anyway. The key to this operation is, of course, going to be anastomosing the opened veins.” Sounding smart may convince them to rise his wage, because he could’ve just said “reconnecting the darker vessels” and it’d have been the same. “Once I administer the vasoconstrictor, his blood flow should slow down. I’ll need to complete the anastomosis while that’s still in effect or he could, well, bleed the fuck out. In short, there’s gonna be two parts to this: excising the tumour, then transplanting the new kidney. That’s a pretty tall order, since we’ve got a real risk of blood loss here, so just make sure I’ve got that kidney when I need it.” He could possibly need his damned Healing Touch during that damn procedure. “We’ve babbled enough, let’s begin. Keep me posted on the new kidney.”

Still, that must be one hell of an important operation for the prof to show up. He’s only seen that guy once or twice around the place. He wears his Delphi uniform religiously, all buttons closed, to the point he kind of looks like a black-and-orange monk. He’s got a Japanese accent too, albeit it’s far less intrusive than his, even if it’s not as smooth as Tie-Guy who you won’t guess is Japanese unless he starts greeting you in his native tongue.

He doesn’t know anything about this guy. All he could gather was that he had salmon eyes and that he’s named Professor Blackwell around here. Sounds a bit cliché for a surname, so he’s certain that has to be a pseudonym, but what does he know about that, after all? He’s only seen the guy a couple times, it’s not like he knows much about it. It does confirm the theory he’s gotten inside his head that this patient’s condition and need for a new kidney is the result of some fucked-up experiment…

Yada, yada, yada. Open the patient up, stare at the stunning lack of a kidney, wonder how the hell that happened, get no response. Two of those tumours he fought previously are back, so he applies the same technique as he did back here: drain the cytoplasm, cut the veins and remove them while making sure he does both at the same time to prevent their weird regenerative gimmick from kicking in to bother him. He injects some stabiliser into his patient and continues.

The kidney gets unceremoniously handed to him in a refrigerated box, so he knows what he has to do next. He puts the organ where it should be, then inject vasoconstrictor into the artery and vein near it. Once he’s done so, he can pull both sides of the future link together with his forceps, then suture them shut. Of course, before he can finish his work, he has to drain some blood because, of course, he should’ve seen it coming. It doesn’t prevent him from finishing that part, then move onto simply connecting the kidney to the bladder by suturing the ureter back up. He injects another dose of stabiliser before closing the patient himself.

“Once the vasoconstrictor wears off, his blood pressure will return to normal. The new kidney’s working nicely, so we’re all done here,” he states as a way to announce he now deserves his pay.

He gets out of the OR and removes his scrubs. The two other dinguses are still here.

“I’ve come to expect miracles coming from you, Dr Nikaido,” Tie-Guy tells him, probably with some sarcasm thrown in here considering how deadpanning this guy constantly is towards him. “His prognosis is still in question, but that’s something for _our_ doctors to worry about.”

“Wait, the fuck? You told me you expected that guy to go back to work! You’re trying to save mankind or wipe it off the face of the planet?”

Prof Blackwell steps into their conversation, revealing a pale strand of hair from under his headwear.

“The path humanity has been on since the dawn of civilization will soon come to an end. Our planet cannot support nine billion people, all living out long, yet meaningless lives. We’re here to ensure that human beings are changed before it’s too late. That is the meaning of Delphi’s research. GUILT will free mankind from the sins that bind it to a history of destruction.”

God, his voice just sounds so robotic when he says that… It’s like reading a pamphlet.

“That’s something you believe in, prof?”

“Our leader, Adam, has promised us salvation for the good work we do here. This is the only way to absolve our own sin, by paving the way for a new, better future and freedom from the shadow of medicine. It’s as simple as that.”

“You ain’t gonna convince me a guy like you could believe a single word of that nonsense, prof.”

Blackwell tilts his head forward, giving him a stinky glare. His jaw is clenched beneath his mask.

“Dr Nikaido,” his voice is colder than ever, “I’d advise you only speak about things pertinent to your job here. Doing otherwise would be considered… a breach of contract.”

His attitude then comes back to normal.

“Don’t worry, Doctor. I’m sure you’ll come to understand, sooner or later.”

He just needs to _get the fuck out_ _of this madness_ , _that’s_ all that needs to come his way.


	51. Let's Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT V: Lives of the Beautiful People - Chapter 1]  
> There's a new face around Caduceus Japan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost forgot to update INA this week, so don't mind me doing that on a Sunday evening at like 10:30PM.  
> Act V is, hum... something alright. It's got the choppiest pace yet because the early parts are just "haha multiple operations go brrr" while the second just jumps the shark entirely. At least, the chapter title theme was cool to come up with for this act. You'll see.

Now that everyone’s leave has ended, now that Gaku doesn’t have day-long rings under his eyes and now that Iori’s temperature has gone down to the right level, they all got gathered in the lounge. That’s when Banri, dressed in his best suit, comes in, a slight smile on his face. He walks in front of them, straightens his tie again, clears his throat, and starts his speech.

“My name is Dr Ogami Banri and I’m going to be the substitute Director of Caduceus until the end of Director Izumi Mitsuki’s convalescence. Before this takes actual effect, I’d like to say a few words. As you may know, Director Izumi is only the second man to ever hold this position, as Caduceus is a recent creation we owe to dedicated politicians around the world like Caduceus USA’s Executive Director Richard Anderson. In virtue of his precocious age, he’s a man of incredible energy and vision, but like every single one of us, he isn’t limitless and has to take a rest. While he recovers, I plan on continuing his work and fight back against the menace that is GUILT. That has always been the mission of Caduceus and I am in no position to change that. I hope that I’ll have your support in striving towards a future together in the meantime.”

Iori, who’s sitting next to her, lets out a relieved sigh.

“My brother specifically chose Dr Ogami and, just as expected, he made the right call.”

Ryuu then gets up from his chair, a folder in his hands. He looks much less optimistic than he usually does.

“Sir!” He bows down. “I finished compiling all of our GUILT treatment data, but I’m afraid Delphi’s actions seem to be more and more deliberate. Alas, we don’t have any idea as to how far they’re willing to go. I’m afraid we’ll need to construct full-scale countermeasure scenarios.”

An alarm cuts poor Dr Tsunashi before he can finish what he was saying, drilling itself into their skull before a voice comes onto the speaker.

“Attention all staff. We’ve received a number of reports indicating possible GUILT victims. There is a risk of an outbreak. All emergency teams must respond!”

“Speak of the devil,” Gaku comments with a groan.

“Everyone!” Banri calls out to them. “Gather your supplies and get out there _immediately_!”

They don’t have the time to think, so Tsumugi and Iori rush out of the door, gather everything, and get into the first vehicle available. She may not be the best driver, but it’ll be good enough. She’s not here to get her driver’s license anyway. Iori doesn’t seem too reassured about how fast she spins the wheel in some turns, though. It’s safe to assume he’ll insist to drive her back on the way home.

When they get there, it’s nothing short of an apocalypse in the work. The city’s busiest streets have never been calmer than this, sunk in an unnatural, inhumane silence. On the ground are collapsed people and in the air floats death. This is nothing short of horrifying, and yet, Banri’s voice calling to their group brings her back to reality.

“I need three teams! Start treating the most advanced symptoms first! Dr Tsunashi, find out which hospitals have received GUILT victims. Cooperate with those doctors and instruct them on proper treatment.”

“Understood!” Ryuu runs off with his phone back into a nearby ambulance they brought with them.

“Dr Takanashi, get ready to operate! Dr Anesagi, assign two teams to handle anaesthesia!”

“Yes sir!” Tsumugi responds, Iori at her heel.

“Understood,” Kaoru replies, already running off to her teams.

If seeing Banri in a pink Caduceus uniform was already weird enough (albeit it fits him very well), then watching him walk up to them is even closer to a fever dream. And, to add onto the weird feeling, he’s holding a familiar-looking suitcase in his hands.

“How can I help?” He asks them, and her jaw threatens to drop, but she strengthens up enough for it not to do so. “My medical license’s been an ornament for far too long, it’s about time I finally make good on the Hippocratic Oath!”

“If you’re sure you can operate, we’d welcome your support,” Iori replies instead of her. “As far as treating GUILT—”

Banri cuts him off, “I’ve memorized the surgery footage. I know what to do. And, if I ever don’t, I’ll ask Tamaki for help.” And, sure enough, their colleague is running in their direction.

“Then, good luck, sir!” She salutes.

“My surgical skills haven’t rusted over yet, and this epidemy sure won’t help that process happens,” he comments one last time before leaving with Tamaki running behind him.

“We should make sure they’re doing everything properly,” Iori whispers her way, and she silently agrees.

When they arrive, the patient is already on an operation table in the open, yet protected by all means necessary. The procedure is already well under way, the Kyriaki being treated at the speed of sound. In all the time she has known Banri, in all the time he helped her father with his research and all the time they spent together after the latter left her behind, she never saw his hands move so fast with so much confidence. It’s _breath-taking_.

In fact, she almost doesn’t realize the procedure is finished unless that becomes abundantly clear.

“I think he’s stable…” Banri sighs with a smile.

“Well done, Dr Ogami,” Iori tells him with a smirk.

“That’s… That’s incredible!” Tsumugi almost yells in encouragement and admiration, before turning back to Iori. “That must be what it’s like to watch the Healing Touch, right? Do I look like that too?”

“I’d say you look even smoother when you do it, but that could be due to Dr Ogami not having operated for a couple years before today. Speaking of which, we need to get ready for our procedures, don’t you think?”

“You’re right, let’s go! Good luck, Dr Ogami, Tamaki!”

“Good luck to you two!” Banri responds as they run to their designated operating spot.


	52. Can't Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT V: Lives of the Beautiful People - Chapter 2]  
> Tsumugi and Iori operate against the clock to save as many people as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5-2 is an infamous level of UTK/SO, if not the most infamous after 3-6 and SO 6-4. In case you've never played TC, you'll see what I mean in this chapter.

Due to how urgent the situation is, nobody has any real time to spare, so Tsumugi scrubs up while Iori and she take care of the pre-operation conference. It’s less of a “conference” and more of a synopsis of what is about to fall on their heads and into their hands.

“We need to take care of five patients infected with Kyriaki by ourselves. It’s going to be long and exhausting, but I believe you can do it, Doctor. If anything goes wrong, Dr Tsunashi is going to be on stand-by.”

“They’re depending on us, so let’s go!”

Not losing any more time, Tsumugi starts on the first procedure. As she opens the patient up, Iori continues their briefing.

“This is a new Kyriaki strain. While it works in almost identical ways to the ones we’ve seen until now, it’s also much more volatile. This gives us about ten minutes to take care of all patients.”

“We’ll be running short on time, but this is worth giving a shot. Ultrasound please!”

Most of this first procedure is almost business as usual. The initial sight is a very familiar one: a large gash and a couple lacerations that she can quickly take care off before initiating the actual fight against the GUILT. The small bat-like creatures float around as soon as she digs them out, then lasers them into oblivion with tight focus. No time to lose, no opportunity to waste due to a human mistake.

The last one surprises her. If she’s used to mature Kyriaki being more of a challenge, as it survives three laser beams, she isn’t used to them being able to tank in a fourth one. Still, remembering Iori’s watching over her, she keeps her composure and finishes the fight, then quickly fixes any remaining lacerations and closes the patient. This was nothing she couldn’t deal with!

“Good work. We’ve finishing treating the first patient. If you may, let’s start on the second.”

The second procedure combines the stronger mature Kyriaki with two waves of three immature ones instead of two. In the meantime, Iori tells her how far she’s into the operation, regularly keeping the vitals in check because she doesn’t have the time to do so herself. That’s cruel, and they both know it; but, sadly, that’s how things are when there is widespread panic.

“I just heard from Dr Tsunashi that we’ll be getting reinforcement. soon Please keep up the pace in the meantime, Doctor. You’re doing great.”

She closes up the patient, then moves onto the next. The team Dr Anesagi assigned to them already took care of preparing her for the procedure, smoothing things out immensely. As expected from someone as competent and sharp-witted as Anesagi, her choices were on-point and adapted for their duo.

The third procedure is even more of the same, except, this time, the mature Kyriaki is accompanied by a small, immature one. It doesn’t change much to how she proceeds, but it relieves her even further to have a nurse next to her to monitor chirality and vitals while she takes care of the main offender. She’s lost track of time, too focused on her work.

“You just operated on three patients in less than five minutes… This is no easy feat, so I’m now certain we’ll make it, Doctor!”

“Good thing to know we’re on time, then! Let’s move along!”

The fourth patient seems to bring Iori some bad memories, as he stares at the person on the operating table in a weird way. He looks conflicted, prompting her to get a little concerned despite the circumstances forcing her mind into laser-like focus.

“What’s wrong?” She asks as she does her initial cut on the chest.

“This patient’s name is Kimidori Sei. She was one of my high school classmates.”

“Ah, I see.” She sutures some wounds. “Did you get along well?”

“Somewhat. She was always… weird, to put it that way, but to see her being afflicted with GUILT…” His voice quiets down a little. “It’s unfortunate, to say the least.”

Seems like he cares about this girl, despite their apparently rocky high school relationship.

“Don’t worry, Iori, I’ll save her, just like I saved everyone else. I’ll even make sure she gets transferred to Caduceus so you can get your little reunion once we’re done here!”

“Doctor, as kind as this is, I don’t think this is necessa—”

“Scalpel please!” She interrupts him, trying to shine him her best smile in this trying time. “Don’t stress it!”

The procedure goes as smoothly as it can. There’s nothing new to this one compared to the previous variations she’s had to deal with so far, so she can just take into account everything else and make the best out of it. She can sense a little more tension in the air but, the further she goes, the weaker it gets. By the time she’s finished, he’s wheeling the patient away as she directly jumps to the fifth and last.

Following a simple logic of infections worsening over time, the last operation is obviously the worst one yet. She has to fight against stronger Kyriaki bats flying around the patient’s lung while trying to keep the laser from damaging too much organic tissue. She only has a couple minutes left, so she better make it quick yet good, as impossible as that sounds. The patient’s vitals keep dropping and she’s afraid she’s overworking her nurse – but they somehow manage. They somehow reverse the tide around and close up the last patient of this counter-the-clock run.

“We… We actually did it, Doctor. We treated five patients in ten minutes – actually, it’s even less than that…!” Iori sounds less happy than he’s relieved this entire ordeal is over (and surprised they’ve somehow managed to pull all of this off).

“Y-yeah… That was… insane,” is all she can say, breathless.

“I know it won’t mean much now that this is all over, but I also knew you could do it. Dr Takanashi, you really are amazing.”

Just as the rest of their team wheels the patient away, Tsumugi’s legs buckle up, leaving her to lose her balance until Iori, in a snapping reflex, catches her in her fall. They’re still both dressed in scrubs, which makes her think of how uncomfortable her bloodied outfit is starting to become due to the heat that has accumulated under it.

“Exhausting ordeal, isn’t it?” He asks her, his pulled-down mask revealing a sheepish smile.

“You don’t say…!”

He helps back to her feet, prevents her from nosediving forward again and, once she’s recovered her balance, lets go of her.

They barely have the time to take off their scrubs, clean themselves up a little and slip back into their regular uniforms when she sees Banri and Tamaki walk towards them, both looking as tired as she feels, yet somewhat satisfied.

“I see Dr Takanashi has come a long way herself, hasn’t she!”

She feels her cheeks heat up, so she just bows down in gratitude. She almost falls forward due to her balance being a little compromised at the moment, but, fortunately, Iori catches her again before her face can meet the ground.

“T-thank you for the nice words!!”

“Ban-chan’s right, Mugi-chan. You’re awesome!”

Her head’s starting to spin, but she needs to behave properly, so she rises back to a normal position.

“I know it’s tough, Tsumugi, but please prepare for the next patient.”

“Understood!”

“Nurse Izumi, can I request you to assist Dr Takanashi during this procedure?”

“Of course.”

“Actually, chief, we didn’t tell them ’bout the _surprise_!”

Tamaki’s bright, ear-to-ear grin is one big clue as to the nature of this news; but it doesn’t really tell them what this is entailing.

“What surprise?” Iori asks, doubtful, arms crossed.

“Tamaki is right, something – or rather, someone – has been waiting for your procedure to end to join you as support!”

“Who could this be?” She then asks herself, honestly confused. Why would anyone try to surprise them at a time like this? Couldn’t have they waited?

“You’ll see when they get here.”

Before they can continue their little conversation further, Kaoru runs to them, her bun almost untied.

“We have a problem! People are starting to collapse outside of our quarantine perimeter.”

“From GUILT?” Tsumugi asks.

“The tests haven’t come back yet, but that’s got to be the case. Anyway! What I came to tell you is that Dr Ogami requested you to help them immediately.”

“Sure thing! Iori, let’s go!”


	53. We Will Not Go Quietly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT V: Lives of the Beautiful People - Chapter 3]  
> Tsumugi gets a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to shake things up for potential non-I7 friends reading, so y'all get some minor canon divergence in this chapter that totally doesn't feel shoehorned in, I don't know what you mean.

An emergency is an emergency, so Tsumugi and her assistant head straight to the suburbs of the town, passing before the nostalgic sight of Kibou Hospital. This time, Iori is driving, as he’s evoked how erratic her driving can get when she’s under pressure and how tired she must already be from all the surgeries they’ve conducted so far today. Since he wasn’t entirely wrong and that she didn’t want to add further pressure onto his shoulders, she gave in.

Once there, they’re met with a surgeon, a middle-aged man with a widow’s peak, from the local hospital and conducted to the sight of a couple patients they can’t take care of themselves. To make up for it, they equipped their own operating truck and have lent them one of their best staff members.

“Thank you very much for coming, Dr Takanashi.”

“What’s the situation?” Tsumugi asks back.

“Our tests came back positive. It’s definitely GUILT, but the symptoms don’t exactly match. It could be an all-new strain, thus why we requested Caduceus to back us up.”

“If you ask me, that’s one’s airborne!”

A fourth voice arrived into the conversation and, for a second, Tsumugi all but forgot about airborne GUILT strains.

“It’s been a while, Dr Takanashi, Nurse Izumi!”

“N-nurse Nanase?!”

The last time she saw him, the man in front of her was still pale and recovering yet smiling. This time, however, he has peachy cheeks, bright red eyes, and a proud smirk on his face. He’s also proudly dressed in a Caduceus uniform, which means he’s got to be their additional team member for today.

“I wish we had time to catch up on each other’s lives, but we’ve got patients to deal with! Oh, also, call me Riku! My colleagues all call me that, and since I’m not a patient anymore…”

“Very well! You were saying you thought this strain was airborne, right?”

“Yeah. It’s more of a hunch than anything else, but the patients who collapsed around the same time had never touched the same items as far as we know.

“We’ll need to collect GUILT samples from these patients while treating these patients,” Iori adds. “If this strain manages to spread, it’ll be a total disaster.”

“I already informed the police, and they’re expanding the safety perimeter.”

“Good call, Riku! We’ve got to minimize damage wherever possible, so it’s all ours to handle now, guys. Iori, Riku, let’s save some more lives!”

“Roger!”

Soon enough, they’re facing the patient getting anaesthetized, holding a short pre-operation briefing before they can delve into the procedure itself.

“Our tests indicate this is, in fact, a mutated Triti strain,” Iori starts the briefing, holding a clipboard in his hands as he reads along. “According to Dr Yaotome, and just as Nanase remarked earlier, this mutation is far less contagious than before.”

“The thorns become highly toxic when vaporized, so you’ll need to drain the mist as soon as it appears,” Riku adds.

“Indeed. Please be very careful, Dr Takanashi. We won’t be able to afford any mistakes.”

“Understood. Be careful too, you two.”

Tsumugi doesn’t exactly have the best memories of treating Triti. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Iori, they’d have surely lost Momo to this thing. Still, now, they’re three and she has operated on two more strains. She may be tired from the five Kyriaki operations, she has had some time to rest, and she feels confident enough they’ll be able to fix the situation. All she has to do is to focus.

Once again, the GUILT infection is located on the pancreas. The pattern Triti has adopted this time is different, however: if she has to compare it to something, it looks like a pair of hammers, with one upside down and the other facing the right way, both composed of five membranes and thorns on each possible angle. She suddenly wishes she had been better at puzzles…

“Good luck!” Riku tells her.

Once again, most of what she does is what Iori instructs her on telling. He seems to be taken a little aback by the slightly different spreading method Triti has invented, causing them to lose a thorn that, indeed, vaporizes immediately after.

“Quick, Doctor, drain it!” Riku tells her, right as Iori’s hand holding the drain brushes against hers.

And so, they avoid a potential catastrophe by quickly getting rid of the incriminated gas. That was a close call, but it was also more fear than harm.

Having two assistants feels odd when she hasn’t operated with more than Iori at her direct side. She knew before today some surgeons had several assistants to operate on different sides, but now that she has that luxury, she isn’t sure of what to make of it. Iori has always been more than enough, she’s now realizing, even if Riku is himself a great nurse.

Okay, this may not be very accurate. As much as Iori is excellent at guessing how to stop Triti, Riku has a sharper reaction time, which makes them work very well in a tandem. As such, she assigns the latter to monitoring the vitals and taking care of any gas leakage as to guarantee the safety of their patient, while Iori and she work on getting rid of Triti proper.

Just like in Africa, this thing is a _nightmare_ to remove. It keeps reproducing in the wrong direction and she sometimes gets overwhelmed by how many things are going on at a given time. Fortunately, she manages to keep just enough cold blood in her thanks to the support of two assistants who are here to help her in case anything is to wrong.

Eventually, Iori’s intellect wins over Triti’s genetics’, allowing her to safely finish removing the entire parasite from this person’s body. It feels like it’s taken ages to do so due to the constant apparition of new membranes and thorns, and their vial of stabilizer isn’t exactly looking the proudest; but it’s a relief to know she’s managed to save someone else. Her sutures also aren’t looking very pretty, but what’d be the point of stitching a cut shut like she’d have done for some lace? That’s not what med school and fighting GUILT have taught her to do.

Her job is not pretty, and she’s used to it. Everyone in her field faces ugly sights every day: blood, gashes, broken bones, glass shards in places they shouldn’t be, multiple aneurysms on one organ, GUILT, bombs… Okay, to be fair, she may have had a weird career even compared to your everyday surgeon.

Even then, there’s something beautiful to their occupations too. They save lives. They get to give people more days to do what they want to in their world. She even has a proof of this in front of her eyes: the bright-eyed Nanase Riku is wheeling a freshly healed patient when, a couple months ago, she operated on his GUILT-infected self at a time where she had to convince him there was something more to life, that there was still hope for him out there. And look at him now! Look at what he just helped her accomplish!

“Phew… We did it!” Riku states as they all get out of their impromptu changing rooms.

“Doctor,” Iori taps her shoulder, prompting her to turn to him and see he was on the phone just seconds ago. “A case of the Tetarti strain has been confirmed nearby.”

“Ah, it’s not over for us, then. Tell them we’re on our way!” Tsumugi then turns to Riku. “Are you coming with us? It’d be great to have a third pair of hands! Plus, on the way there, we could tell each other about what’s happened since last time.

“Count me in, then!”


	54. Help is on the Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT V: Lives of the Beautiful People - Chapter 4]  
> They keep on fighting, fighting, fighting.

For this next procedure, they’re coming back to their previous spot, with Iori still at the wheel. Riku is quite the chatty person, so the trip back doesn’t feel long at all. Rather, it seems too little to contain all of this man’s stories ever since his stay at Kibou. Indeed, he’s lived through quite a lot, even if it doesn’t seem as intense as being on the forefront of the fight against a manmade pathogen.

Since her departure from Kibou, Riku has followed his own path. After coming back to work once his convalescence was over, he transferred from his hospital of origin to Kibou as the clinic he was working in was restructuring its workforce. He was sad to leave his first hospital, but also more than happy to pay back the people he owed his life to. He now works under Dr Orikasa, which prompted her to then ask about how her mentor was doing, only for Iori to remind them they had arrived already. That’s too bad, but it’s reminded her to call Yuki one of these days.

They get greeted by Ryuu who, after a quick introduction to Riku, briefs them on how the situation has evolved. He looks a little tired, reflecting how they’ve all felt about this situation so far, but it doesn’t prevent their interaction from being as pleasant as usual with him.

“The patient has been transported here from a local clinic to avoid infecting the other patients residing there. Tsumugi, as you may already know, you’re going to be operating on a Tetarti strain that is too contagious to treat in any ordinary OR, so I beg you to be careful, okay? The same goes for you two, Iori, nurse Nanase. Now, I’m sorry, I’d liked to help out, but I need to move onto the next hospital. Best of lucks to the three of you!”

“Good luck to you too, Ryuu!”

They don’t lose any time and speed to the OR vehicle, changing into scrubs as quickly as possible. Once that’s done, they finally take a look at the profile’s physical condition through simple observations and profile reading.

“These spots on the patient’s skin are typical of Tetarti,” Iori states as his hand hovers over the nasty discolorations covering the man’s limbs.

“It’s your first time dealing with Tetarti, right, Riku?”

“Yes, but we got briefed by Dr Tsunashi earlier today about how to handle it. It’s a sort of Simon Says, right?”

“As silly as that comparison is,” Iori chimes in, “I guess it’s not entirely inaccurate.”

“Hey! If I’m not wrong, why would you sass me?” Riku pouts back, more amused than offended as far as she can guess.

“I wouldn’t summarize the treatment to a deadly infection to some child’s play, Nanase, that’s it. Now, Doctor, I say it’s time we start.”

“W-well, Iori, I see where you’re coming from, but you could be a little softer about it…” He doesn’t quite give her the stinky stare she expected to see, instead just looking a little side. “But you’re right, we’ve got a procedure on our hands here and we shouldn’t waste any more time. Let’s begin!”

It’d seem like, unlike Triti, this is nothing different than usual, apart from the increased infectivity of the creature. Tetarti wasn’t difficult to beat when it had infected her mentor, but this time, she operates without the added pressure of having to save a loved one, so she can go all-out on the thing without feeling like it could be getting too personal. Here, she’s just filling her duty normally, getting rid of an artificial menace that threatens so much more than the people who made it think it can.

Iori and Riku work in a weird tandem. The former is very much used to her by this point and has operated on this before, so he has prepared everything according to their habits with the vials and syringes, while the latter is much more focused on observing and taking mental notes in case, like Dr Orikasa before him, he needs to take of Tetarti later down the line. This is a testament to how different they are, yet the little tension she felt between them before the operation melted away as soon as she picked up the vial of antibiotic gel. Consider her relieved about this.

To be fair, there’s no reason for them to be tense: this is just like before, except they know a safe and sure way to get rid of Tetarti now. Inject the diverticula before removing it, then take care of the four waves of Tetarti cells rising to the surface of the patient’s liver. It’s still the Simon Says-like procedure Riku alluded to before, without any surprise. She’s still worried about the vitals and the gas they sometimes emit, but that’s it.

The operation ends without any complication, so they get out of the OR relieved and yet almost rested. Tetarti, compared to Triti, is almost a calm walk, as cruel as it sounds. She needs a better way to put her thoughts into words…

When they get out of the truck, finally changed into more comfortable clothing (as in, a close to pristine uniform, compared to bloodied scrubs), they’re surprised by the sight of a cleaned-off Banri talking to… _Mitsuki_?

Iori almost runs to the two directors speaking in the near distance, only for her hand to grab his arm before he can do so. If their titular director is here, it means something serious has to be going down. For now, all they can do is listen their conversation from afar.

“How widespread should we expect this outbreak to be?” Banri asks to a wheelchair-bound Mitsuki being pushed about by a grinning Momo.

“We’re receiving updated reports from Caduceus International. They’ve confirmed GUILT victims in at least four districts in the prefecture.

“I assume you responded already, didn’t you? What did you tell them?”

“I’ve sent medication and treatment instructions to hospitals in these locations. Hopefully the local doctors can take it from there.”

Mitsuki’s phone then rings, prompting him to catch the call. Despite his paler skin and dark rings, he still shows a great deal of determination on his face.

“Hello, this is Director Izumi,” he replies as he puts his phone on speaker mode, probably so Banri can hear his interlocutor too.

It’d seem like some of the higher-ups don’t know about what just went down. Blame it on the official announcements that have yet to be made…

 _“Izumi,”_ the voice of who she assumes to be the Minister of Health rises from the phone, _“we’re concerned about some of the decisions you’ve made today.”_

Albeit neither Iori nor she are surprised to learn that Mitsuki’s been sneaking some administrative work behind their back, she can sense her assistant is upset at this news.

“We’re on high alert, so make it quick.”

_“I appreciate your circumstances, but I’m calling in regard to the medication you’ve issued to a number of hospitals. I’m afraid you’re going to have to abort these shipments.”_

“Excuse me?!” Mitsuki sounds _furious_. She can’t recall having ever seen him look this angry.

_“I don’t have the proper clearance to issue those treatments to public facilities. Most of them haven’t even started the FDA approval process. If those drugs reach the public sector, the pharmaceutical industry won’t be happy. If you insist on using those treatments, you’re going to have to administer them yourself, at Caduceus.”_

“The hell you’re talkin’ about?! You’ve seen the crap GUILT does to people! The patients would fuckin’ _die_ before they even got here, not to mention how contagious that thing is! We’re cutting things too close as it is, I won’t listen to that business bullshit!”

_“I heard you were a difficult man at times, but you may want to think this through carefully. You’ve read the reports. We both know your funding is in jeopardy…”_

“I’ve had enough of this shit! You’ll have to excuse me, I’ve got more important business to take care off.”

He hangs up on his interlocutor, his fist almost strong enough to break his phone.

“…those _bastards_!” Their director loudly swears, fists and teeth clenched.

“These politicians seem restless,” Banri observes. “I assume they’ve noticed you’ve been a little distant from all of this mud. I also assume they’re the ones who brought you out of bed?”

“Ain’t my fault if these goons can’t understand what Caduceus stands for! Our entire purpose is to what other medical orgs can’t, is that so hard to comprehend for their money-hungry brains? Speaking of which, I gotta speak to Gaku.”

Mitsuki dials their colleague’s number on his phone and, forgetting to turn off speaker mode again, lets them hear what comes from the other side of the line.

_“What’s goin’ on, Chief? I’m kinda busy here, I’d let you know.”_

“I need you to take care of something for me right away. Please send complete copies of our GUILT reports to all major hospitals you can land your hand on.”

 _“You_ sure _that’s okay? That’s kind of a big deal.”_

“Don’t worry, Gaku. I’m taking full responsibility for this.”

 _“Not gonna lie, I may have missed your crazy antics like that, so I expected you to pull that once I saw you wheelin’ ’round the place.”_ Gaku snickers on the other side. _“I already have the files ready anyway.”_

“Knowin’ me well, I see! Send them away, then.”

Mitsuki ends the call again, smirking. Banri chuckles.

“You’re as serious as your brother, underneath your energy.”

“You can ask Iori, unless it was against him, I’ve _never_ lost a fight. I wasn’t gonna let that change this _universal_ truth.”

Tsumugi finally lets Iori run to his brother, concern all over his features and filling his voice as he frets over a laughing Mitsuki. As she hears a mixture of cries, giggles and cough, she gets a call from none other than Nurse Osaka.

_“Hello, Tsumugi. Is everything good on your end? I heard you’re now in Caduceus and have been fighting GUILT on the frontline.”_

“Oh, I’m all good! Maybe a little tired from the hectic day, but aside from this, I’m all good! I hope everything has been good on your end too!”

_“If we don’t count the epidemic, it’s been peaceful. Don’t forget to sleep at least six hours, okay? I need to hang up because I have a procedure soon, but feel free to call me whenever you feel the need to, okay? I’d be glad to help you with anything.”_

“Understood, have a nice day, Nurse Osaka.”

The call ends with some goodbyes, prompting her to finally turn back to the man still next to her.

“Thank you very much for your help for today, Riku. It’s been a pleasure working with you, despite the context!”

“A-ah, it’s me who should thank you, Dr Takanashi! It was an honour to be by your side, even if it was just for a day!”

“Then, I hope we’ll get to meet again in much happier circumstances than this!”

“So do I! Sadly, I need to get back to Kibou soon, so… Take my phone number!”

They soon part ways, waving each other goodbye as Iori walks back to her, his brother’s wheelchair handles in his hands (Mitsuki having fallen asleep in the meantime) and Momo tapping her shoulder. They all decide to get back to where they should be, which means she bids Momo farewell before climbing back into a Caduceus vehicle with the siblings.

The future suddenly seems too bright compared to the grey skies and the chilly wind that makes her rub her arms.


	55. Wolf at Your Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT V: Lives of the Beautiful People - Chapter 5]  
> There is no rest when the wicked is involved.

Caduceus at night is an incredibly quiet place, contrarily to what most people would believe. Aside from the muffled sounds of medical machinery and the occasional night shift staff moving around the place for various reasons, it’s mostly silent, sunk into a light sleep.

Everyone on the day shift at Caduceus is exhausted, yet happy to reunite with everyone after such an intense day. It’s a huge relief to see they’re all safe and sound despite having spent the entire day on the line of duty.

They’re all heading for the staff room to recover their stuff and leave to get a good night of rest in their respective homes, leaving everything in the hands of their night shift colleagues, when Tsumugi opens the conversation.

“…So, we got it under control?”

“I think so,” Kaoru replies while untying her hair from its messy bun, “since managed to contain the GUILT before it could spread. It’s all over the news, though, so we won’t hear the end of it for a while. On the other hand, if Delphi expects us to catch us off guard again, they won’t be so lucky next time.”

“And what ’bout Mikki?” Tamaki asks.

“Would that be because he sent that medicine? I’m certain my brother will be fine once he recovers from exerting himself. He did what needed to be done and averted what could have been a monumental catastrophe. I suppose someone tipped off the press about what really happened, since I’ve seen online news outlets figure depict him as a hero. He can’t possibly get fired by the higher-ups at Caduceus now.”

“I wonder who tipped ’em off. What do you think of it, Gakun?”

“I find it intriguing,” their head of research replies with little to no hesitation.

“I’ve heard even the Counter Terrorism Unit is getting involved,” Tsumugi comments, remembering something she read on her phone not too long ago.

“About time!” Kaoru comments back. “The First Minister is going to be here next week, at least, according to what I’ve heard. I hope nobody was planning on taking some vacations anytime soon… Not that I’d be the one talking, of course…” She sighs as she puts her bun back together.

“Had to cancel mine and that sucks!” Tamaki dramatically deflates, all hunched with his arms hanging. “I really wanted to go scuba-diving with my sis…”

“I hope you’ll get to enjoy a vacation with Aya soon!” Tsumugi replies in an attempt to provide everyone with the energy even she doesn’t really have anymore.

They’d have probably continued gossiping like this in the corridors if a shrilling alarm didn’t resound in the entire building, cutting Iori before he can even start commenting on anything. A not-so-unfamiliar voice then comes to their ears.

“Emergency warning! Unidentified persons have been seen on the premises. All staff, return to your stations immediately to await further instructions.”

“Do you think it’s someone from Delphi?” Tsumugi asks.

“Probably, but we can’t discuss that here!” Iori tells her as he grabs her wrist and makes her run with the others to the staff room.

When they get there, they’re greeted by a perplexed-looking Banri. They all immediately gather around him, as if surrounding a messiah.

“There were several intruders… and some already escaped. We’ve contacted security, but…”

“We can’t just let ’em get away!” Gaku yells. “Chief, we should be looking for these punks ourselves!”

“That’s a terrible idea, Yaotome.”

“Come again?!”

“We’re defenceless and, on top of that, we don’t even know if they’re armed!”

“Well, we don’t have any leads on Delphi’s locations, do we?” Iori chimes in, his calm voice contrasting the heating words Kaoru and Gaku are exchanging. “Letting them walk out of here would be like letting Delphi kill about a hundred people. I know it’s risky and I understand where you’re coming from, Dr Anesagi, but I’m afraid Dr Yaotome has a point.”

“Iori is right,” Banri continues. “It’s dangerous, but we need to find them. Those of us who can defend ourselves should pair-off and start looking.”

“That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout! Now, well… I’d say Tsumugi and Anesagi should stay out of this.”

“Hey, slow down there, macho-man. I used to be a cop, remember? I’m perfectly capable of defending myself!”

“Oh, I’ve… I’ve studied Aikido. I’m a little rusty, but I should be fine if I ever get attacked.”

“You have?” Iori asks, surprise splashing on his face (well, his eyebrows twitched, but that’s more than enough for her to decipher). Banri’s smile is her accomplice.

“Ah, hum… That’s what my guardian recommended me to do a few years ago. We should begin the search!”

“S-sure thing,” he says as he follows her out of the room.

With the building still sunk in darkness as not to rouse any suspicion, they explore the different wards and parts of Caduceus, splitting in different groups. It takes a couple minutes for everyone to go around and check, locking doors and reassuring in-patients as they go.

Their footsteps and breaths are practically the only thing either of them can hear and Tsumugi certain she should feel more oppressed by it; yet being around Iori soothes her anxiety a little. She’s wondering if that’s not the reason why he’s holding her hand. There’s no real use in overthinking it, as much as she’s tempted to put an actual reason on it. His hand probably just glided down from her wrist. Yeah, that’s… got to be the explanation for it.

After a little while, they reunite with Kaoru, who seem to have been alone all along. She’s looking around when they walk up to her. She sighs before spotting them, giving them a little smile that is soon replaced with a bothered expression.

“They don’t seem to be hiding anywhere in this building,” she quickly comments, looking around them to spot any additional figure that’d be hiding in the shadows.

“All the rooms are locked and his hall ends up ahead,” Iori observes, “so I doubt anyone is hiding in there despite the darkness of the corridor.”

“That’s a relief, then! We should probably head back to—”

Before she can finish her sentence, Tsumugi gets cut by Kaoru.

“Stop right there!”

They don’t have time to think twice: their colleague is already running in the direction of a fleeing shadow, whom they all pursue into a corner.

“It’s one of the Delphi—”

She doesn’t get to finish her sentence as the figure brushes past her. Her limbs lock into place, preventing her from using any martial art technique she could’ve learned: the man is familiar to her, the scent of his uniform’s cologne hitting too close to home, leaving her a startled mess as she sees a flash and Kaoru running past her, bringing her back to reason.

“There’s nowhere to run!” The former cop screams as her heels try giving chase.

“H-how…?” She whispers under her breath.

Iori runs up to her, worry on his face, as he puts a hand on her shoulder.

“What’s wrong, Doctor?” His concern drips into his voice. “Are you hurt? Did that man hit you?”

She’s almost breathless from the shock, desperately trying to brush the images away from her mind so it can’t reach an inevitable conclusion.

“N-no… It… It can’t be…” She hiccups. “I-I mean, I’m fine…”

“Goddammit, he got away…” Kaoru grunts as she walks back to them, prompting Tsumugi to once and for all shake her head and get back into the groove of things. This is no time to think this is someone she used to know very well.

“I… I’m sorry, I…” Tsumugi apologizes, still hiccupping a little.

“I guess it was for the best that I didn’t catch up to him, since he had a gun on him. Let’s head back. We need someone to examine that evidence.”

“What evidence?” Iori asks. It takes all of her willpower not to bury her head into his chest, as to protect her from the haunting memories.

“It was pretty dark, so it’s not pretty, but it should do for now.”

Kaoru shows the both of them a vague picture and it takes her even more willpower to ignore the taste of bile rising in her throat and the tears prickling in her eyes. It’s _him_ , there’s no doubt about it…

“You managed to take a picture that fast?” Iori asks.

What truly makes Tsumugi split apart from the tempting embrace is suddenly seeing Kaoru clutch her abdomen, pain colouring her face as she groans.

“What’s wrong?!” She asks, feeling something snap inside her.

“No, don’t… don’t tell me it’s…”

Right as she sees pink eyes roll back inside their sockets, Tsumugi’s strength comes back to her, allowing her to pick up her colleague before her limp form can hit the ground.

“T-this is bad! Iori, quick, get someone here!”

“On it!” He says as he runs out of the scene.

A piece of bad news never comes alone, she supposes, as much as it’s filling her with a sort of fury she’s rarely felt before…


	56. Gotta Get It Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT V: Lives of the Beautiful People - Chapter 6]  
> When will Delphi stop inventing new strains? Tsumugi doesn't know, but she sure wishes she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> will you guess the very unsubtly hidden headcanon i shoved in this fic because i could

The wait seemed like it’d never end but, at long last, Banri has opened the door.

“How’s Dr Anesagi?” She asks, her voice lacking strength.

“It’s GUILT. Tsumugi, I’m sorry to tell you this after Iori and you had such a tiring day, but you’ll need to operate on her immediately.”

“How did Dr Anesagi get infected?” That’s Iori’s question.

“We found a needle in her leg. They must have somehow injected it.”

Tsumugi’s heart skips a beat. Does this mean that _he_ infected her colleague…?

“Which strain is it?” Iori is, again, the one asking the questions barely surfacing in her mind.

“We don’t know. It could be a new one. Gaku is analysing it as we speak. We’ll start when he gets back to us.”

“Un… Understood,” she says as she gets up, legs trembling a little. That’s, to her dismay, not just from the day’s exhaustion.

Banri leaves the room shortly thereafter, leaving the two of them to be alone in there. It’s no wonder that everyone else has gone home aside from Gaku, their director and them. Iori goes to sit next to her.

“What’s wrong, Doctor?”

“A-ah, nothing! It’s nothing, I promise. Don’t worry, Iori.” She gets up, trying to fake even a shred of enthusiasm. “We should prep for the operation, don’t you think?”

“Of course, but… There’s something on your mind, Doctor, isn’t it?”

“Ah, true… Do you mind if I tell you about it later? I still need to gather my thoughts on that.”

“As you wish.”

The route to the scrubs and to the pre-operation conference is nothing more than a colourful blur, her thoughts eaten away by something terrible, looming over her head. Gaku opens the conference, holding a file once more.

“I checked the files and it looks like we’ve got a 97% match. That one’s fibrous, which basically means it’s gonna be a _pain in the ass_. You need to operate on that thing right now.”

“You haven’t explained how to operate on it, though,” Iori remarks.

“Imma explain that after you open her up, so hurry! As soon as that damn thing gets in the body, it moves directly to the heart. If it gets there, she’s _history_.”

“Oh my God…” Tsumugi whispers, keeping gruesome imagery at bay.

“Found it yet?” Gaku then asks in Iori’s direction.

“There’s something in Dr Anesagi’s abdomen, near the small intestine.”

“Sounds ’bout right. That shit’s quick, so let’s hurry.”

“Let’s start then!” Tsumugi finally pulls herself together, her sense of duty bringing her mind to a better place.

The air in the OR is heavy, even more so than usual. It’s no wonder why: they’re operating on someone they know well. This has forced them into monitoring the anaesthesia by themselves, which should be a little rocky if you ask her, but she doesn’t have the time to focus on that. These days, she supposes the process has been streamlined by more advanced machinery Caduceus has managed to acquire due to its particular position.

Moreover, there are scars on Kaoru’s abdomen that Tsumugi has seen before. These aren’t like the appendicitis scars she left on her patient and, frankly, it makes her a little lost. It’d seem like her colleague got a transplant or any sort of ablation before. Well, it’s not what matters now, and it’s Kaoru’s intimacy, so she better not be too noisy, and make her cut before she can speculate on any business that doesn’t concern her in the slightest.

Once they get visuals on the affected organ, something is immediately wrong.

“I see lacerations, but there aren’t like the ones Kyriaki would have left behind,” Iori comments on the cross-shaped cuts visible on the organ’s surface.

She quickly stitches them shut, asking her assistant to monitor the vitals with quick, almost robotic-sounding words. However, as soon as she does so, she sees a sort of worm burrow out of the intestines, showing itself to be made out of a piercing head, sixteen segments and a twitching tail.

“There it is, the fibrous GUILT…” Iori observes. “What do we do now, Yaotome?”

“Try lasering its tail, Tsumugi. That seems to be its most vulnerable spot.”

Well, Gaku was the one who came up with the treatments for both Tetarti and Pempti, so she can trust his word. She decides to go along with it and points her laser towards the worm’s tail right as it’s shaking, causing it to change from its blue hues to red ones as it hits and immobilizes it in its tracks. It seems too simple to fight against coming from Delphi, however, so she’s expecting something sinister or treacherous coming their way soon.

“Looks like I was right. Listen carefully, okay?”

Tsumugi and Iori both turn to Gaku, who is pointing at the worm with his finger.

“That GUILT’s name is Paraskevi and, as we stated, it’s fibrous in nature. Basically, every part of it functions as a muscle. If we just extract the thing, there’s gonna be massive bleeding, and we obviously don’t want that. That piece of shit’s even gonna burrow into the organ to cause even more damage elsewhere! My plan of attack’s primitive, and probably a little rough on the edges, but just keep cutting the thing until it’s really small, then extract it. If you notice any of ’em burrowin’, get rid of ’em aright away!”

“ _Them_?” Iori immediately questions.

“That thing’s gonna split in other kinda sentient bits once you cut into the main worm. It’s gonna be a pain in the ass.”

“Let’s get rid of this thing as soon as possible, then, Doctor.”

“On it.”

Tsumugi gathers all of her focus and cuts through the worm, causing it to break out of its stunned state and split in two halves. The process, from then on, becomes systematic: following some suggestions from Iori, she lasers both halves before they can burrow and cause more damage, then proceed to take care of quarters and eighths. The more it goes on, the more difficult it gets, to the point she almost lets one burrow into the intestine and cause havoc elsewhere.

It doesn’t help that, every time she cuts, Paraskevi lacerates the organ, leaving ugly gashes that drain the vitals. Still, thanks to the helping hands of her assistant, she can take care of the parasite while being certain the patient won’t die on their hands. Plus, once all bits are no longer than two sections, she can easily stun them one last time and extract the GUILT bit by bit, leaving no trace behind, before taking care of the remaining lacerations she didn’t get the time to take care of until now.

The tense atmosphere of the OR’s air lifts up as she closes their colleague back up, ignoring once again the scars, thinking more of the one she’s about to leave behind her.

“Pretty good…” Gaku comments, most likely with a smirk hiding behind his mask if she can trust the rest of his face’s features. Looks like we still have an anaesthesiologist after all!”

“ _After all_? Did you doubt Dr Takanashi’s aptitudes?”

“Absolutely not, she’s one of our best doctors. The same can be said about Anesagi too. I’m just relieved my colleague is okay now.”

Iori continues giving him a little of a stink eye but turns to her eventually.

“We did it, Dr Takanashi. You handled things as excellently as usual.”

Tsumugi’s heart is still heavy with black smoke when they reach the staff room, getting ready to finally get a good night of sleep after the tumultuous day they all just went through.

“You did well, Tsumugi,” Banri comments after repressing a yawn.

“I had to save her. After all, we all owe Dr Anesagi a lot.”

“You’re right, we couldn’t let anything happen to one of Caduceus’s best doctors.”

Tamaki and Nagi enter the discussion soon after, already halfway through putting their coats on.

“So, was that pic worth Kaorun riskin’ her life?” Tamaki asks, remembering the one thing they almost all forgot about until now.

“Let’s see,” Ryuu says as he picks up his own phone, to which the picture got sent by Kaoru herself moments before losing consciousness.

“He looks a lot like Tsumugi,” Nagi comments as everyone gathers around the screen.

Aside from her, that is.

“I remember that face from somewhere, so I must’ve seen it before,” Ryuu comments. “Oh, right, that’s _Takanashi_! That’s Professor Takanashi! He went missing about, I’d say… about a dozen years ago.”

“You… You must be right,” Banri gulps.

“Are you sure of that?” Nagi asks back, Tamaki seemingly sharing that mindset.

“Yes. He was studying immunology. Before his disappearance, he was a big name in the scientific community. He went missing about a decade ago, but still, that doesn’t explain why he’d have joined Delphi of all things… So he may be someone else entirely…”

“There’s no doubt about it, Dr Tsunashi.”

Tsumugi’s uncanny cold tone makes all of the attention in the room turn in her direction.

“That man is Takanashi Otoharu. He disappeared thirteen years ago after losing his wife to Rosalia’s Syndrome, leaving his daughter behind.”

“Do you mean that…” Iori doesn’t finish his question, his voice dying in his throat before he can push the last word out of it.

“Yes. He’s my father.”


	57. Give Me a Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT V: Lives of the Beautiful People - Chapter 7]  
> Reality is a harsh mistress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it really a plot twist if anyone who's played the game/got lost on TV Tropes knew it was coming?

Despite the change of scenery, finding themselves facing Dr Ogami’s sitting at a desk yet again feels way too familiar. It’s in a bit of an uncanny valley territory, considering the atmosphere is the same, yet the fact they’re in _Mitsuki_ ’s office creates a discrepancy she isn’t too fond of.

Well, to be fair, there’s a lot of things Tsumugi isn’t too fond of, lately, as life may have lost of its flavour. Getting off yesterday’s rollercoaster of emotions sure did that to her.

There isn’t even a slimmer of joy to be found on Banri’s face, solemn and stern. The context absolutely calls for it.

“What I’m about to tell the both of you does not leave this room. I want to make that very clear.”

“Of course,” Iori responds for the two of them.

“We’ve found Professor Takanashi. He’s on the other side of the ocean, in Santa Balboa, in the USA.”

“What is he doing over here?”

“He’s apparently hiding at the Eidoth Pharmaceuticals lab. The FBI’s been watching him since late yesterday.”

“Do you think Eidoth is sheltering Takanashi, then?” Iori continues speaking while her voice is mostly extinct.

“The question is whether or not they even _know_ they’re sheltering him. I doubt the regular employees have any idea he’s there or what kind of research they could be doing, if they even share a building that is.”

“What do you mean?”

“About fifteen years ago, Eidoth moved functions, leaving an older building behind. The FBI suspects Takanashi and other Delphi-affiliated activities could have taken a hold of that building.”

“Are they going to raid these seemingly abandoned laboratories, then?”

“Yes, in two days. To reduce the risk of another GUILT outbreak, and due to Caduceus USA having their hands full with another major health crisis of their own, they want us to be there as well. However, there’s a little… _issue_ with that.”

“What’d that be?”

Banri leans back into his chair, his gaze suddenly meeting hers, prompting her to finally lift her head. Of course, of course…

“I’m… hesitating on sending you, Tsumugi. You’d be an obvious choice to send there, considering your experience dealing with GUILT and how successful you’ve been at operating on it, but on the other hand… This is personal to you and I’d understand if you don’t want to get involved in this. I think we’re both in a similar state of shock towards the recent turn of events.”

Iori doesn’t comment on it. She figured he’d bring up something like potentially compromising conflicts of interest; but he just looks at her, worried.

“I can stomach it, I think. I want to see the truth about my father with my own two eyes.”

“Even if they arrest him right in front of you?” Banri asks, his voice thick with concern.

“If I may add, Dr Taka…” Iori finally speaks up before interrupting himself for a moment. “She’s stronger than most of us. I’m convinced she’ll be able to endure it.”

“Then, I suppose we can only send the both of you, as we’ve always done. Take care of each other, okay? Good luck, Tsumugi, Iori.”

They exit the room in silence, waiting to be in a silent part of Caduceus to resume any sort of conversation. Iori is the first to stop in his steps, prompting her to do the same as soon as she notices so, a little behind him so all she sees is his back and his jet black hair.

“Doctor, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” she replies, unconfident.

He turns back at her, revealing his expression to have crumbled into a bundle of concern.

“I heard what you said back there, but… Are you sure you’ll be fine?”

“Ah… Thank you for always being so supportive of me, Iori, it means a lot to me, but…” She lifts her head back up, gathering all of her conviction and determination to look solid and strong. “I’ll be alright. I’m just so… shaken over what’s been happening for the last couple of days, you know? More than anything, I think I just need to know the truth, now, and to make the world is set free from GUILT. I’m going to ask my father why he joined Delphi!”

Iori doesn’t add anything. Rather, all he does is walking up to her so they’re now facing each other.

“My father disappeared when I was just a teen. He simply… vanished, leaving everyone with no idea of where he went. After my mom died, he just became the shadow of his own self, and before long, he was gone too, and Banri had become my legal guardian as a result. There were times were, lonely and lost, I’d hate him, blaming him for all the wrong in my life. I’d ask Banri and Yuki why he left us, but they never had any response to give me. And yet, even after all that, I found it hard not to respect him. Nobody had anything bad to say about him. Even if my mom is the reason why I started studying medicine, pursuing my father’s trail was also part of why I wanted to become a surgeon…

“I’m sorry to hear this, Doctor…”

Tsumugi knows very well she shouldn’t be dumping all of this on her unprepared assistant, but it’s too late: the waterworks are on, the barrages she put over the topic years ago are breaking one by one, and feelings are flooding from her brain to her mouth, pouring all over someone completely innocent in this terrible, sombre circus of her sordid family history.

“At… at no point did I ever think my father could be involved in something like this! Was my… was all my hard work for nothing? Ah…” She starts sobbing, almost choking on the whimpers she doesn’t want to let out, looking aside, looking down. “I’m… I’m sorry, Iori, I’ll be fine tomorrow, or at least in two days, I promise…”

To her surprise, she gets pulled against him, his hands gently pressed against her head.

“It’s all fine, Tsumugi,” he tells her, the comforting tone of his voice acting like balm over her heart.

She doesn’t bother apologizing, instead letting go of all of the tears and sobs she has been keeping bottled up for much too long.


	58. Belly of the Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT V: Lives of the Beautifl People - Chapter 8]  
> It's time for revenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate the Trauma Center localization because it changed everything and now I had to make a weird cross-ocean operation to maintain some semblance of canon compliance, fuck you ATLUS USA  
> Also we're reaching what was the climax of the UTK story (SO is a different can of worms, believe me), so get ready for some ~feels~ (kind of)

As Eidoth Pharmaceutics’ seemingly abandoned research facilities shape in the near distance, Tsumugi finds herself lost in a sea of thoughts. The first thing to come to her mind is the ever-growing list of people they are about to get some revenge for on the people who attempted to end their lives before the natural end of their courses: Riku, Aya, Momo, Dr Orikasa, Mitsuki, Kaoru, and all the other patients whose names she sadly never got the chance to memorize…

They’ve crossed the Pacific Ocean for this. They won’t lose now, not to the imminent threat of Delphi.

When they get on land, they rush to the entrance, hearing voices of Caduceus USA staff signalling them to wear proper equipment, bringing up a biohazard again and again, lending them special uniforms for that purpose. They quickly put these on, hiding their faces behind a layer of plexiglass and covering their hands with thicker gloves than what she’s ever been used to.

As soon as they finally get in, Tsumugi gets to take in the scenery. It’s nothing short of a nightmare to traverse. The air is heavy and so are their breathings, resounding against the hastily emptied rooms with broken glass crunching under their footsteps, while their eyes examine their surroundings. It’s obvious the building was abandoned on a whim, yet there’s very little left, most things having been destroyed by hand or by fire before Caduceus or any other law-enforcing entity could make its way in.

“I can’t believe this…” She whispers to herself, her eyes still trying to adjust to the amount of red lights used across the place, right before they come across another human.

The latter is panting for dear life, gasping every couple of seconds or so, clutching onto a nearby table to stay up.

“That researcher is infected with GUILT!” Iori immediately concludes, already readying their portable surgery case.

“Get the anaesthesia ready, we’ll need to operate immediately!”

“Yes, Doctor!”

While Iori goes to prepare them an operation table by disinfecting what seems to have been one before the place got attacked from the inside, she runs to the ailing man in front of them, making sure her hands are protected enough before putting them around his shoulders to stabilize him.

“Sir, do you understand me?” She tunes into her English and, luckily, it seems like he can understand her just fine. “I’m a doctor, I’m here to help you.”

“Forget about me, I’m already dead,” he replies in a strained voice.

“Nonsense, you can still—”

“Those bastards, they… they betrayed us! B-but the professor…”

“Please keep your calm. Try to conserve your strength.”

“Help Professor Takanashi… he doesn’t deserve to die like th—!”

He collapses right in front of her, prompting Iori to take the man’s wrist in his and check his condition.

“His vitals are dropping fast. What should we do?”

“If we don’t operate right now, he’s going to die. I’m going to administer painkillers.” She picks them from her own case, then turns to the man. “Hang in there!”

“No! Save the professor!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of him too,” Iori replies before the man’s eyes flutter shut. “The anaesthesia is working. I’m bringing him to the operation table.”

They quickly get ready, praying their suits are as effective as scrubs, only changing gloves after disinfecting their hands again.

“I contacted headquarters,” Iori tells her as he goes to monitor the anaesthesia, “but there seems to be no matching data.”

“I see. I guess we’re going in blind, then.”

“If you ask me, Doctor, this almost seems like it was planned out.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it for a minute. How could the researcher “accidentally” release this GUILT? They know how dangerous it is – they’re the ones who created it in the first place. It makes no sense for them to mishandle such a thing and cause this.”

“Then, do you think they infected themselves as a way to hide the evidence?”

“That doesn’t sound quite right either. Delphi seems to be weirdly preoccupied with death, but I also don’t think they’d encourage their researchers to commit mass suicide as to further their twisted cause.” He suddenly cuts himself. “Ah, never mind my rambling. We need to concentrate on the patient now.”

“Agreed. Let’s begin the operation.”

They spotted the infection in the chest, so Tsumugi does her cut as to access the patient’s lungs. There, she quickly takes care of the Kyriaki lacerations she sees… even if she has to admit those look weird. There’s one more compared to usual four, putting her on the edge.

“Be careful, Doctor. Anything could happen.”

“Don’t worry, Iori. I’ll be as careful as possible.”

Any certainties she could’ve had when entering this procedure melt when, right before her eyes, a laceration opens on its own, allowing a group of small bug-looking creatures to get out from under the organ’s membrane.

“What is that GUILT?!” Iori yells in surprise.

“I don’t know, but we need to get rid of it! Laser please!”

“Here you go!”

These little bugs are mostly munching on the lung, so they’re easy to burn off with the laser for the most part. That is, until they notice some of them are gathering right as she thinks she has the time to suture the laceration they created.

“I’m having a bad feeling about this, Doctor… Please laser them before they can do more damage.”

“On it,” she says as she picks the laser from his hand and get rid of the group.

It takes them a couple more minute to clean everything up, from the lacerations to every single bug, before she can safely close the patient and make sure the wound won’t get infected while they won’t be looking.

“That was a strange GUILT, but at least, we know how to handle it, now. The laser is effective, so treatment is actually pretty simple. It was probably still in development when the authorities kicked the laboratory’s door open, so I’d say we found it just in time. Good work, Dr Takanashi.”

“Thank you,” she replies as she helps him clean after them.

Once they’re presentable enough, they have to deal with the local police telling them about the whereabouts of the man they just saved. That’s how they learn he’s going to be sent to Caduceus USA’s headquarters to receive further treatment. As usual when it comes to speaking English, her assistant deals with most of it better than she could ever do.

In the meantime, she starts cleaning up, sterilizing the tools they used and making sure to discard everything that needs to be thrown out as properly as possible given their current conditions. There’s a lot to think about that she doesn’t quite have the time of day to give to… Perhaps too much, in fact.

“Doctor, let’s not lose any more time!” Iori says as he’s already rushing to pick up and sterilize all of the surgical material left. “We need to get going.”

“You’re right. There’s… one last person waiting for us at the end of the tunnel.”

Iori looks at her, gentle, while he finishes putting away all of their tools. She shakes her head.

“Let’s do this, Iori. _Together_.”

He nods before he walks up to her, the case in his hands.

“Let’s go.”


	59. Live Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT V: Lives of the Beautiful People - Chapter 9]  
> There's no going back now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly thought this chapter would be longer than that.

Unlike the rest of Eidoth, the last room at the end of the hallway is less about cold and sharp metal edges and more like a library. It’s not unlike the one Tsumugi would spend hours in when she was a child, either observing her father work in silence, asking him to play with her, or wonder about the reasons why he disappeared as she packed the last books and sold them to help Banri out.

There may be no library of her father’s anymore; it doesn’t make the man standing right in front of her any less real.

“…Professor?” Iori asks, going forward, putting an arm in front of her as if to protect her from harm.

“Who… are you…?” The man asks in fluent, albeit somewhat accented, Japanese.

Even after all these years, Tsumugi can’t not recognize her father’s features in this person: his sandy blond hair, his half-closed rose eyes, his build on the slender side of the spectrum. The one thing she, however, finds foreign, is the depth of the rings under his eyes and the wrinkles she doesn’t remember ever having seen.

“I’m a nurse from Caduceus. You’re going to be fine. We need to operate immediately. Please don’t resist.”

“I think you’re confused, young man,” the professor snickers. “But it doesn’t matter. It’s too late.”

The pain in his voice isn’t entirely foreign to her either.

“This isn’t true. We saved your colleagues, we can and will save you.”

The professor rises back to his feet, surprising the both of them. She still doesn’t dare walking up to them.

“Yes, I was disappointed in how quickly you stopped my GUILT. You found ways to treat all six strains. You’ve definitely proven your surgical ability. But, the GUILT inside of me is unlike anything you’ve seen so far. Now that Savato is completed, this facility means nothing to them, so I’m ending it all before Delphi can. Go! A pathetic sinner like me isn’t worth saving.”

“She’s a doctor,” he tells the man as calmly as he’s done so far. “Helping people fight off diseases is her job. You can worry about your sins after she’ll have saved your life.”

“None of us are allowed to die. It’s exactly as He preached. But that doesn’t matter either. I’ve made my choice.”

Tsumugi finally steps up, prompting Iori to sidestep and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Why did you create GUILT?” She asks, trying to conceal the fury she feels boiling inside her veins. “You threw away your reputation, your life, your family. Why did you do that, dad?!”

“Ah, Tsumugi, it really is you… I was afraid it’d be the case. I wanted to die so you’d never find out about this.”

“Just tell me why!” Her hands are now balled into fists.

“Your father died thirteen years ago. I’m merely a ghost. Please let me pass on.”

“I _forbid you_ from doing that!”

“Is this the kind of father you _want_?!” He shouts back.

She wipes away her tears.

“It’s my job to help people, and I’m proud of that fact. I refuse to watch you die.”

“As you wish. But you cannot defeat Death. It’s not from this world.”

“Iori, begin the anaesthesia. We’ll start the operation as soon as possible. Get ready.”

“Roger.”

They prepare the operation table in silence, receiving no protest from her fallen father. She never expected him to have stooped down so low, or that she’d ever reunite with him in the bowels of modern-day Hell, and yet… Scratch all of this out. She’ll think about it later.

“The chiral reaction seems to be coming from the abdomen,” Iori reads out of the monitor’s screen. “The spectral analysis indicates this is the same GUILT as before.

“…You know, Iori, my father used to be the polar opposite of the man you saw today. Once my mom died, I could only see him study at his desk. If I tried speaking to him, he’d just tell he was too busy, to call Banri if I needed something. He stopped smiling, stopped spending time with me, and then left me behind, never to come back again. Was this what he left Banri and me for? Was this worth abandoning his family and go against anything my mom was for? He abandoned me… and yet he’s still my father. Please, Iori, and even if this is the last time we ever work together… Help me save him.”

“He has a lot to answer for, but be assured you’ll have my help for this, Doctor.”

“Thank you very much, Iori,” she smiles behind her mask before turning back to her father’s unconscious face. “There’s a lot you need to answer for, but first, I’ll make sure you survive this, Dad. I won’t let you die!”

The operation starts in almost silence, with only the surrounding machinery and anaesthesia equipment echoing in the empty room.

“Judging by the data we found, this strain is called Savato. The infection seems to be located on the heart.”

Following Iori’s indications, Tsumugi makes her incision on the right zone. Once she gets to the heart, however, she’s greeted with a gruesome sight: a web is covering the entire organ. On top of it resides a purple insect, much bigger than the one from previously, moving on six legs.

“So this is Savato… How could my father create such a thing…?” She whispers, horrified.

“Doctor, we just received Dr Yaotome’s analysis,” Iori’s voice breaks her out of her thoughts. “Let me read it for you.”

He clears his throat.

“Essentially, the Savato’s “nest” directly nullifies the victim’s heartbeat. It steals that pulse to create energy for its own purposes. Basically, Savato is a parasitic form of death itself, as cringey as that sounds. At the moment, I can’t think of any way to stop it, but we might have one possible countermeasure. The GUILT depends on energy from its nest, so if we destroy that…”

“So we need to cut this web apart!” She concludes. “That could be our only chance! Scalpel please!”

Iori hands one to her immediately, allowing her to directly cut into the web… and realizing this is going to be much more difficult than she could have anticipated.

“The scalpel’s melting! How is that even possible?!”

“Well, we don’t have time to answer this question. However, I did bring a lot of scalpels with me in case we couldn’t disinfect the ones we’d use between procedures. Here you go.”

“Thank you,” she replies as she exchanges scalpels with her assistant.

The time Iori needs to recover scalpels slows down the operation, but it may be a positive if she thinks about it in another way: it gives her the time to fight against Savato, either to clean after it. It creates a new thread from time to time, which she needs to cut again, spawning more little bugs in its trails, which she can easily laser down while her assistant takes care of their scalpel business. Moreover, to fight against that, she uses overlapping areas to her advantage, managing to cut two threads at once from time to time.

After a little while of cutting webs and cleaning after Savato, she finally gets rid of the entire web. However, it doesn’t admit to defeat that easily and, instead, moves to another area of the heart. There, they do that for two more times, cleaning each web one or two threads at a time. In the meantime, Iori encourages her not to lose hope, to persevere, and she can’t help but smile every time he gives her such welcome words. Truly, she can’t ask for a better assistant than him…

Once the third web is destroyed, Savato moves again, but changes in behaviour. Instead of spawning more threads, it lacerates the heart, prompting some bugs to crawl out of the wound and for her to pick up the laser immediately. As she takes care of burning them down, Iori continues reading what Gaku is telling them from the outside world. She heard before going that he’d join the mission a couple hours after their arrival. Again, this is no time to think about it.

“If the nest is destroyed, it can’t continue absorbing energy from the heart. That should allow you to neutralize its corrosive layer.” Iori clears his throat. “You know what you need to do now, Doctor.”

The second phase begins with triple lacerations from Savato. However, it seems to have two behaviours, from which it’ll switch from time to time: it’s either three lacerations in one go, or a larger one from which bugs will escape. As such, she asks her assistant to handle the vitals while she takes care of the bugs and gashes. Each time she gets the opportunity to strike, she points her laser towards the spider-like parasite, making sure to hit it for at least a few seconds to ensure she’s causing it damage.

Once it’s weak enough, Iori urges her to stab it with her scalpel as to destroy its layer. It turns out, to their misfortune, that this damn thing has three of those in total, sending them for two similar phases where she repeats the same gestures: suture, laser, suture, laser, stab. Rinse and repeat. Still, it’s a good indicator they’re getting somewhere.

Right as she’s about to finish the third phase, she hears two persons run into the room. Quickly lifting her head away from the operation reveals their identities: Gaku and Ryuu. She assumes the latter is here on behalf of the convalescent Mitsuki and the busy Banri.

“Looks like it’s working!” Gaku comments. “That’s pretty good, Tsumugi!”

“Dr Yaotome? Dr Tsunashi? When did you get here?” Iori asks, furiously blinking at them.

“Well, it’d be long to explain. We rushed in this room to give you this,” he continues telling them as he hands her assistant a vial of black liquid.

“It’s medicine for Savato,” Ryuu explains before she can even ask about it. “The research you saved helped us design a serum that should stop it.”

“That guy collapsed right after that, but hey, we got what we wanted. I guarantee you this is gonna work. Inject it into the GUILT.”

Iori looks over at the monitor.

“Chiral reaction is low… Finish it off with the injection!”

One last time, Tsumugi picks up the scalpel, slashes into the weakened and immobile Savato, and picks up the syringe Iori filled in the meantime. She immediately empties its contents into the spider, prompting it to convulse into the centre of the heart… and create a star of lacerations in a single go, causing the vitals to collapse with it.

“What the—?!”

“Goddammit!” Even Gaku is left speechless by this thing’s last resort.

“No, I’m _not_ letting that happen! You’re not getting away! He’s going to _live_!”

A familiar burning sensation then fills her senses, prompting her to pick up her syringe, fill it with the black liquid again, and inject it one last time. To her dismay, however, Savato manages to be quick enough to escape from her even while her Healing Touch is active. Well then, maybe that if she focuses enough, if she can fight time itself to save a desperate case, pulling every punch for a grand finale…

The star appears before her eyes again and, before she truly notices it, everything around her has stopped, and she finally conducts her injection. She’ll take care of the lacerations once that damn thing is gone for good.

_No disease is incurable! I’ll never accept that!_

She watches Savato convulse one last time, secreting a substance that isn’t too unlike antiobiotic gel. It seems to actually be even more powerful than it, instantly healing the lacerations she didn’t take care of before and melting the threads of the previous ones into the tissue of the organ.

“D-Dad… We did it…” She whispers, an agape smile hiding under her mask, as she closes the patient and bandages the initial incision. She feels like her legs are about to give in.

“It looks like the war on GUILT is finally over,” Ryuu comments.

“You really earned that Healing Touch, Tsumugi! Congratulations!” Gaku gives her a part to the back.

“I’m proud to be your assistant, and, most of all… I’m proud of you, Dr Takanashi,” Iori concludes.

She walks away from the operation table right as her legs give in, sending her to the floor until her assistant catches her in her fall, propping her on his shoulder.

“I… I didn’t cry, today” she tells him with relief washing over her. “Two days ago, you said I was stronger than you, so I tried not crying, but I failed… But now, I feel like crying again! I’m… I’m so proud to have you as my assistant, Iori… Thank you for allowing me to see my father again…”

“As I said, I’m proud of you too, Tsumugi. Now, I’m pretty sure you need your rest.”

“W-wait, my father…” She whispers, her vision already starting to black out.

“Don’t worry, we’re going to take care of him.”

Feeling more at ease in his proximity and knowing everything will be fine, she lets herself close her eyes once and for all.


	60. Relief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT V: Lives of the Beautiful People - Chapter 10]  
> It's finally over, isn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To close this Act off, let's have a little added chapter compared to canon, once more Iori-centric. I based this one on my experiences taking overnight boats, even if let's be real I was mostly trying to sleep when boarding those and never profiting from how peculiar it is to wander around a large ferry with so little people actually awake.

The road home is silent for them. It’s a lot of boat, essentially, and night-time boat at that, so there’s not a lot to do without feeling like anything you’d do is going to disturb the few people attempting to sleep on board. Most of the air around is silent, aside from the 4AM barman cleaning glasses and the waves crashing against the boat.

Iori wishes he could be part of the people sleeping on the chairs, the window edges, the ground, the rooms upstairs. It was a funny gift coming from Caduceus USA to afford them four tickets to go back home to Japan in a ferry rather than a plane. They thought it’d make their nerves untangle more than that, he supposes. It probably worked for Yaotome and Dr Tsunashi, considering they’re both sound asleep nearby. In the meantime, there’s no Dr Takanashi to get concerned about: she woke up around half an hour ago, went to the bathroom, and just disappeared. He may as well do the same and exert his legs while insomnia hits him once again.

The ship itself is quite the luxurious one, he’s realizing. The floor is covered in carpet or wood for the most part whenever they’re not near a staircase. He’s seen a couple shops around, albeit they were all closed due to how late it is. He wasn’t going to buy anything in there anyway, of course, especially considering the egregious prices these shops tend to go for; but it’d have made for a nice distraction to wander around the place, admire all the cheap goods, and perhaps even watching her hesitating on buying some souvenirs for the rest of their colleagues…

Tch, she truly won’t leave his head, even when he’s not stuck in her office’s bed or even near her vanilla-perfumed uniform. Guesses that’s what romantic feelings do to someone. It’s not exactly the most comfortable situation when one’s crush is their own hierarchical superior, that’s for sure…

It’s not raining outside and he’s feeling a little hot, so he decides the deck may as well be the best place to wander around until they’re back on Japanese land. That way, he may even be able to watch the sun rise if he stays there long enough without falling asleep. Perhaps the tides will lull him into slumber if he hears them louder. Either way, it sounds better than having to listen to Yaotome snore.

Once he gets on the deck, he takes in the change in scenery. The sky is black with the stars clear in the sky, as they’re standing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, with only planes signalling their presence to disturb the serenity of the pure night sky. The only source of light are the full moon and the lights pulling through the windows of the ship. The breeze isn’t too strong either despite the speed of their ship, leaving very little wavering. He easily makes his way to the edges, clutching the barriers and letting his mind drift away, trying not to think of anything else…

“Iori?”

A familiar voice brings him back from a half-asleep state after some time. The sky hasn’t really changed in colours, so he guesses it’s only been a couple minutes at most. What has changed, however, is the fact Tsumugi is now next to him, her arms on the barrier too. It seems like she has only recently arrived.

“Ah, Doctor. I didn’t see you there. How are you feeling?”

“I feel rested, thank you very much. Perhaps a little too much, since now, I won’t be sleeping for a couple hours… You must be tired, though.”

“I’ve never been able to sleep on transportation. It’s nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Ah, I see. Go lie down if you ever feel tired, though!”

“Worried I might collapse like you did back in Eidoth?”

The face she makes at his teasing must be the cutest he’s seen out of here yet.

“W-well, yeah! I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble, Iori, I… I still don’t master it quite yet, I suppose. I’ve yet to fully get the hang of it…”

“It’ll come eventually, I’m certain. No need to overexert yourself for that.”

“You must be right.”

The wind blows in her hair, her eyes fixating on the sea around them. She doesn’t seem seasick, so that’s one less thing to worry about. On the contrary, she’s enjoying herself, smiling now that the biggest weight on her chest has been lifted. He probably can’t comprehend the amount of relief that must have been washing over her even since succeeding her operation on Savato. It was quite the crowning moment of their collaboration, if he may comment on it.

Whenever she’s nearby, he always feels so much more at ease, despite his elevated heartbeat. It’s like she causes the problem, then fixes it, and the worst is that she’ll never know she’s even causing that to him. She’ll never know about the butterflies he gets whenever she uses his first name, whenever she smiles at him, whenever she tells him she trusts him. When she told him she was proud to have him as his assistant, his heart almost stopped.

And why won’t she ever know about that? Because he can’t burden her with moral questions. That’d be cruel of him. He should’ve have kept his feelings in check.

“Iori? Is something the matter?” She asks, breaking him away from musings he didn’t know he had.

“N-no, everything’s fine. I suppose I’m just a little lost in thoughts because of how many things have happened lately. It’s like our lives have been put on flash forward.”

“It’s an accurate way to put that feeling into words… A lot really has happened to us, these past few months. Getting into Caduceus, all of GUILT, my mentor falling sick, your brother following through, and now the Eidoth raid… We’ve seen a lot, haven’t we? We didn’t even get the time to get jetlagged!”

He chuckles. She’s endearing even when she’s rambling. She may as well be the death of him.

“Is there something weird in what I said?”

“No, I just find it to be an accurate summary of it, that’s all there is to it.”

“I see, then.”

The silence between them makes him realize how different it is from when they first met. Instead of feeling exasperated by all of her little quirks, he just learnt to embrace them. What more can he say? She shines too brightly to resist cheering her on.

“As much as it pained me to discover the truth and how ugly it was, I’m glad we were together in this, Iori. I couldn’t have done it all on my own.”

“In the professional sense?”

“Ah, no, not just because a surgeon needs to have an assistant to handle delicate operations like Savato. I meant it in the sense that, mentally, I don’t think I’d have been able to handle all of this on my own… I know, it’s an admission of weakness, and you probably don’t like it; but I can’t hide that I was scared until the very end. I was scared to let a patient down and to lose what little of my biological family there is. If it weren’t for your support, and of course Gaku and Ryuu coming in at the right time, I don’t know how things would have ended and, frankly, I don’t want to think about it.”

“I see,” is all he can reply.

They go silent once again. They’re both tired, so it’s to be expected that they wouldn’t be very talkative. He’s never been a man of word anyway, merely a man of action and advice whenever he can provide it.

“I know I’m going to get over it eventually,” Tsumugi continues. “I’m gonna get over my own dad being this evil guy who invented the one thing we spent so much time fighting. For now, though, well… I prefer not to think about it. Is that weak of me, Iori?”

“Why would it be?”

“Isn’t that running away from the truth?”

“Now, that’d be making excuses for GUILT’s creation because you’re his daughter. I’m certain what you’re doing is just giving you the time to take in the events.”

“I suppose you’re right… Ah, sorry for venting to you without warning, it just… escaped my thoughts, you could say.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t mind.”

She sighs, looking at the sky with a small smile.

“Enough about me. Can I ask you something, Iori?”

“Sure thing.”

“Why did you become a nurse? You could be a surgeon yourself, so I’ve been wondering why you’d choose to become a nurse ever since we first met…”

“Ah, that’d be because I’ve… never dealt well with pressure. I tend to overthink, so I can’t take decisions in time when they’re crucial. I’m much better off helping people than being in charge, if you ask me.”

“Perhaps. I guess we’ll just never know! In a way, I’m glad you did, because this way we get to cooperate much more than we’d have if we had both been surgeons.” He believes he can see some colour on her cheeks as she looks away. “That sounds selfish, I’m sorry, I… I don’t know what I’m really saying tonight!”

“Again, it’s fine. I understand where you’re coming from. In fact… I think I agree. Meeting you made the choice worth it.”

“I’m glad our cooperation has made you feel this way too, then!”

Yet another silence, as soothing as the previous ones. The stars really are beautiful tonight.

“As I said, I’m glad we were together in this storm. Our beginnings were tumultuous, but we overcame our differences in time to treat the first GUILT cases. Well, I suppose we did start getting along before that… Yuki told me about the time you watched over me when I was unconscious for three days.”

“I-I have an explanation for that,” he replies with a choke.

“It really meant a lot to me when I heard this. I was certain you hated me!” She tells him with a giggle in his voice, and his heart pinches from it.

“Well, I never disliked you per say. I merely doubted your abilities as a surgeon because of…” Wait, that sounds way too insensitive. “Never mind. These are all things of the past. They don’t hold true anymore.”

“O-okay then…!”

She sounds confused, but nonetheless gives him a smile, and he’s melting all over again. Goddammit.

“We should be heading inside. We’ll probably catch something if we stay outside for too long this late! It’s getting cold.”

“Tsumugi, you know that’s a myth, right?”

“I was saying that because you’re shivering, Iori! Do you want my jacket?”

“N-no, thank you, I’ll be fine.”

Well, considering how warm his face feels now, it’s not even a lie.

“If you’re sure, then…”

Her smile only leaves for a couple seconds before coming back with a vengeance. Curse the butterflies.

“I know it’s unrelated, but I just got reminded of something.”

“And what would that something be?”

“You’ve been calling me by my first name more often, lately.”

Ah, crap. She’s got a point. He has indeed been doing that more and more often. The worst is that he’s never caught up on that until now.

“W-well, I can explain…”

“What’s there to explain? I asked you to do that, as far as I know! I was meaning to tell you to do it even more often than until now! It makes me feel less awkward.”

“Awkward? Those are just our relationship’s codes, Doc…”

The silence that follows isn’t like the previous ones. He can feel a sort of tension slowly rise, the tide changing.

“ _Iori_ ,” Tsumugi tells him with a suddenly serious-sounding tone he really wasn’t expecting.

He doesn’t reply, content with trying to get his eyes to speak for him. They’re locked in hers, now, and she looks just as serious as she sounds. With the dim light, however, he can’t distinguish much of her features from the nightly backdrop.

“Even now, even in the middle of the sea, at night, when nobody else can hear us, you insist on us not being equals… Why so?”

Well, he does know why he’s so adamant on keeping up with the professional façades. Truth be told, it’s a selfish motive, very much so, and he can’t hide that fact to himself. Still, telling her would break the conditions he set for himself as to keep healthy professional relationships up… It’s a lose-lose situation on his end for sure. On hers? He’s not that certain.

Still, he can’t lie to her. He’d never forgive himself if he were to trick her with words into believing something that just isn’t true. On the other hand, confessing such low feelings is also out of the question for obvious reasons. He supposes all he has left are euphemisms… especially when it’s so tempting to just stop fussing over codes and run away from them while holding her hand in his. As long as it’s outside the OR, it can’t hurt, right?

“To be entirely true with you, Dr Takanashi, I was intent on keeping our relationship strictly professional. Not because of you, but because of my own personal code of conduct. I apologize if I made it look otherwise.”

“Wait, _was_?”

He chuckles, already embarrassed by his future reply. “Truth be told, you’re just too friendly to keep up with that. More than your colleague, I want to be your friend, per say.”

“We’re already friends, Iori,” Tsumugi replies with a giggle, “aren’t we?”

“You’re right. I guess I just didn’t want to admit it.”

“So, issue fixed, right? You can call me Tsumugi and we can have a friendly life outside of work!

“Oh, obviously.”

It’s her turn to shiver, almost prompting him to find a jacket he doesn’t wear to put on her shoulders.

“We really should head back inside before Gaku or Ryuu wonder where we’ve gone. Plus, I’m really feeling like drinking something warm, right about now…”

“That’s not a bad idea at all. Let’s do that.”

They leave the deck at the same time, both shivering from the cold, right as the dawn begins to crack in the horizon.

“I’m paying you a drink, then,” he tells her, already thinking of where he put his vest before heading outside.

“No, I’m paying you a drink!”

“You just saved the world, Tsumugi.”

“And so did you!”

In the end, they’re probably better off paying themselves their own drink; yet the banter is too much fun for the reasonable, time-efficient part of his brain to interrupt it and settle for the easy solution.

Blame it on the butterflies.


	61. Everything Went to Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [INTERMISSION ΕPSILON]  
> His Delphi days never deserved a swan song anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, we definitely close things off with a good ol' Intermission chapter, everyone's favorite chapters (maybe). Yamato is always a fun character to write for this fic lmao.

A blaring siren pierces through everyone’s eardrums, almost causing him to drop his tools as soon as it deafens him.

_Attention all personnel! The laboratory has been contaminated. Seal all but the main entrance! Stand by for further instructions! I repeat…_

Yamato stares at Tie-Guy as he puts on his knockoff scrubs once more, for what seems to be the last time. Freedom sure tastes weird.

“…So, it all comes to this, huh?” He tells his “assistant,” who seems as unfazed as ever. Maybe all he wants is to come back to Japan and reunite with his brother now that Delphi is fucked. “I guess that facility’s dead in the waters, considering the coverage GUILT has gotten by now.”

“The Inner Circle is discussing how to proceed. However, I’m afraid you still have work to do, Dr Nikaido.”

“I kinda saw that comin’. You want me to take care of the GUILT that’s causing all of this mess, right?”

“The researcher you’re responsible for seems to have a GUILT located in his small intestine. His symptoms point to Kyriaki, but we’re still waiting on lab results to confirm this. Professor Takanashi printed up some information that might help you prepare,” Tie-Guy tells him as he hands him a paper sheet.

“Got it. Kyriaki causes multiple lacerations, hmm…” He briefly reads over the paper. “Looks like I got my work cut out for me. Still, I’ve somehow never lost a patient, and that guy won’t break my chain. Bring me to him.”

Yeah, say that, Yamato. In truth, this entire thing is _insane_. How are you supposed to treat a patient whose body turned against themselves? They’re asking him to bring corpses back to life at this point.

They’re finally in the OR, joined by a third man: the Professor himself. _Again_ , should he add.

“Professor Takanashi will be observing as well,” Tie-Guy indicates. “Don’t let us down, Dr Nikaido.”

“We’re in a critical situation here, but please try focusing on the patient.”

“Of course, Prof’. I read the info you provided. You believe that patient has Kyriaki, right?”

“The tests weren’t conclusive, but everything we’ve been told seems to indicate Kyriaki, yes. This is a weird case, so make sure you don’t get infected too.”

“Got it. I’m pretty sure I can handle it. The one objective here’s expelling the Kyriaki, so this should go well. Let’s begin the operation.”

Discovering the patient’s intestines reveals one thing: those sure are Kyriaki lacerations and, moreover, the things he finds with the ultrasound and forces out with the scalpel are immature Kyriaki cells. He quickly gets rid of that first wave – and easily at that, he might add – before continuing on with the operation.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a bad time enough at Eidoth if a spontaneous laceration, instead of allowing more Kyriaki to come out, didn’t reveal something else entirely: three big, blue bug-like things crawling all over the intestine. God, today isn’t his day. It’s never his day anyway.

“The hell’s goin’ on?!” He swears out loud.

“His vitals are spiking!” The prof realizes in a scream.

“Hey, what’s happ’ning to this guy?!”

“There were some uncertainties in the Chiral readings for this patient. I believe we now know why.”

“And that’d be?”

“If we continue this pattern, this’d be called Savato.”

“That’s _another_ GUILT?!”

“Yes. I’m afraid this complicates the operation procedure. I need you to collect a sample of this GUILT at some point during the treatment. Capture the GUILT, Dr Nikaido.”

“And how on Earth am I gonna do that?”

“I will prepare a drug that should restrict its movement for a moment. I will need some time before I can do so, however, so please continue treating the patient without harming the GUILT.”

That’s such a garbage idea.

“Don’t kill it, huh. That should only be nigh-impossible, no big deal.”

“Without it, we won’t be able to develop a proper treatment.” The stern tone of the prof makes him bite back on his sarcasm. “I’m depending on you, Doctor. Will you be able to handle this?”

“Ain’t like I got much of a choice, no? I’ll keep both of ’em alive.”

Well, it could be worse, he supposes: for the most part, it’s just a terrible Kyriaki operation where he needs not to laser the blue fuckers roaming around the place. Avoiding Tie-Guy’s scolds is a good motivator _not_ to fuck up, because he’s in no mood to deal with that teenage-looking dude. Well, that, and the situation he’s in that really doesn’t make him feel like slacking off today. Sometimes, you just need to comply and keep your complaints to yourself…

The patient’s vitals are beyond terrible and the presence of the three bugs makes it so he can’t make them much better than they already are. As such, he activates his Healing Touch to deal with the little bats running around without worrying too much about the condition of the misfortunate guy who ended up on his operating table. Not that he’ll ever know who that is.

Once he’s done dealing with the Kyriaki (which, to be fair and on second thought, wasn’t too bad and somewhat frailer than what he got used to), all that’s left to deal with are the three blue guys dancing around the place. That’s when the prof has the good idea to almost make him jump by standing right behind him.

“Ah, I see it’s progressing… Here is the treatment,” he says, handing him a brand-new vial filled with some shady-looking black liquid.

“Can I proceed?”

“Yes. The drug should put it in a state of suspended animation. Temporarily, of course.”

Now, all he has to do is to follow simple instructions, miles apart from trying to put together a closet: inject the three bug with the liquid, wait for them to stop, pick them up with the forceps, put them into the tray, rinse and repeat. It’s nothing difficult or challenging, so he’s going to take it and profit from the end of an operation to be this simple when he previously had to resort to the Touch to keep the damn patient from leaving that plane of existence here and there.

“Operation complete,” he states as he sutures the incision shut, disinfects the cut, and applies his bandage.

Yamato quickly discards his scrubs as soon as the guy is wheeled out of his view. However, and even with how little time he spent on that, he can only realize the _one thing_ he wanted is gone already. As always, there’s very little going is way. He interjects Tie-Guy who is still nearby.

“Hey, did the prof leave already? I wanted to ask him something ’bout that last operation.”

“He’s otherwise occupied,” he replies without ever quitting his matter-of-fact tone. “Also, I believe they’ve issued orders for you to evacuate immediately.”

“What?!”

Bitch _what the fuck_.

“This is simply how _they_ chose to handle the situation. I’m supposed to evacuate too.”

“And what about the other researchers?! Who’s gonna operate on them?! Not themselves, I hope!”

“I guess this too is part of their plan. They’ve already dispatched a clean-up crew. There’s nothing more we can do about it.”

Oh c’mon now, that’s just _disgusting_!

“A _clean-up crew_?! You guys are just _fantastic_ , you know that? You _really_ don’t give a _single fuck_ about people’s lives, do you!”

Tie-Guy doesn’t seem fazed at all. In fact, he’s just arching an eyebrow at him as if what he just stated was obvious and run-of-the-mill stuff.

“Everyone here understands the risks involved in what they’re doing.” His voice matches the “doesn’t care” vibe his face is exuding, albeit he’s starting to wonder if it isn’t a façade meant to hide him from any guilt (no pun intended) that situation is going to bring to the two of them down the line (he’s calling it). “They all understand that their sins have consequences and that forgiveness isn’t easily earned. But, sacrifices are to be made if we’re to be freed from the shackles of medical science.”

Yep, still sounds like a whole load of bullcrap. That, however, doesn’t reply to any of his questions in any satisfying way, but what do you want him to say or do? It’s out of his control now.

“Heh, guess I don’t have a choice. I’m gonna evacuate. Ain’t a place for a doctor anyway.”

“Understood. We will not meet again.”

“Goodbye, then. Take care,” Yamato tells his “assistant” before leaving the building at long last.

When he cares to turn back at it, he sees Caduceus penetrate inside the building with the FBI, a blonde accompanying the parade. You could say he escaped just in time, considering he’s _that_ close to getting arrested; yet he feels nothing that’d classify as fear, or paranoia, or even uneasiness. He’s glad he got to be freed from Delphi without doing anything about it himself.

Still, even if he takes public transportation, go home and decide he’s going to now live off anonymous YouTube videos, his shady business is absolutely going to catch up to him someday and bring his ass behind bars, his license once again lost to the sands of law and, this time, there won’t be some malevolent cult to save his career from completely sinking to the bottom of the abyss. Heh, that’s not very practical, is it?

However, when he slips his hand in his lab coat to check the time on his phone, when the next bus is going to be and where, or if he doesn’t have a candy bar in there, Yamato stumbles upon something he almost forgot. Getting it out reveals his hunch to be right: this is one of the blue bugs from earlier. He doesn’t really know what it is aside from it being another GUILT monstrosity courtesy of Takanashi’s mind, but hey, it serves him well.

Maybe he has what it takes to bargain and join forces with the good guys.


	62. Ἐν τῇ Θάλαττᾳ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VI: Οι Δελφοί - Chapter 1]  
> They stand on the edge of the world, heading for Hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Act VI was the toughest to write so far, not going to lie. UTK Chapter 6 got infamously axed in SO because it was just a gauntlet/boss rush and, lemme tell you, it's difficult to write entertaining surgery scenes when it's all shit you've already seen sometimes half a dozen times.   
> I hope this Act won't be too boring; I promise Act VII will be worth it.

They’re still on firm land, and yet, Tsumugi is staring at the sun setting over the red sea, thinking of how soon they’ll be in the enemy’s lair, its last hiding spot before the threat of GUILT will be over. The speakers then suddenly turn on, a male voice making itself heard immediately after.

“Attention all units! This is headquarters! The doctors are on board. Requesting update on GUILT status.”

A soldier then comes up to them, towering over her, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses. They’ve been with these guys for most of the day, and yet she still feels intimidated by them.

“We’ll be moving soon, Dr Takanashi. Are you ready?”

“I think so… It should be just like the simulation, right?”

Well, she can only wish it’ll be like the simulation, because they’re going to have a problem otherwise…

“Yes ma’am.” He then turns his head to her assistant. “What about the boy?”

“I’m ready.”

The soldier walks away just in time for Iori to glance back at her.

“Are you scared, Doctor?”

Honestly, his tone is telling her he might be the one who is scared. Who wouldn’t? She’s a little itsy herself, but she’ll push through it just fine. She shouldn’t let herself get paralyzed with stress.

“Oh, I’m fine, don’t worry! At this point, and if I’m with you, I can handle anything!”

It’s a bit of a half-truth, but she was warned beforehand, and it’s not like they can walk away now. They made a decision and they need to honour it _now_. After all, Caduceus counts on them, and she needs to show Banri and Mitsuki they’re more than capable of handling it. That’s the only way they’re going to disprove the worries they expressed three days ago, when Banri summoned her into his office…

_“…Professor Takanashi has accepted all charges and is testifying,” their substitute Director told them in a solemn voice. “Thankfully, he also shed some light on Delphi.”_

_“And that’d be?” Iori asked._

_“They operate offshore, from a large marine vessel to be exact.”_

_“That’s why we were unable to track them down,” Mitsuki, who is sitting at the desk dressed in casual clothes with an IV drip still plugged into his wrist, adds. (Iori keeps eyeing him in an attempt to make him go back to bed. So far, it’s not been working at all)._

_“We informed the US Navy and it wasn’t long before they located a suspicious ship in the Pacific Ocean. The UN just gave them permission to clear it out on suspicion of bioterrorism.”_

_“The issue is, Delphi’s base must be filled to the brim with biochemical weapons, so they can’t go in there and just make the entire place explode in the middle of the ocean.”_

_“That’s why they asked us to dispatch a GUILT specialist to assist them in case something is to go sour with said weapons,” Banri’s voice drops._

_“…Everyone we asked kinda refused to go, though…”_

_“So, what about you, Tsumugi? You were the… last one on the list.”_

_Banri seems a bit bothered to admit that to her. Not that she isn’t surprised to even be asked such a thing._

_“W-wait, me…?”_

_“You’ve already done enough, and we understand your personal background is making it tough for you to get directly involved with Delphi missions… We won’t force you to accept; but you might just be our only hope.”_

_She turns her tongue seven times inside her mouth, quickly considering as much as she can about the situation, then gives her answer._

_“…If I don’t go,” (it sounds oddly selfish to exclude Iori from the sentence), “we could lose our chance to exterminate GUILT. As a doctor of Caduceus, it’s my mission to do whatever I can to prevent that from happening.”_

_“Doctor…” Iori reacts with (what she thinks is) admiration in his tone but concern in his eyes, prompting her to glance at him._

_“If there’s a disease, then it’s my job to stop it.” She then looks back at Banri and Mitsuki. “I’m going.”_

_“…you’re right,” the former tells her with a soft smile. “Good luck, then.”_

In an attempt to unwind and get rid of the anxiety making her heart beat so quickly, she sighs. That’s the moment Director Miller chooses to walk up to them, still dressed in his military uniform. God, she misses how casual Mitsuki was as a director, now that they’re on this boat, so far away from Japan, from home… She nonetheless shakes hands with him.

“It’s almost time,” he announces to her. “Are you ready, Dr Takanashi?”

“Don’t worry about me, sir,” she manages to reply with a smile.

“I sincerely apologize for sending a doctor to a place like this…”

“I’m here because you needed a doctor. Someone has to stop GUILT.”

“This is reassuring. While you’re on board, I’ll have to be back here, giving orders. I’ll trust your judgement out there. My soldiers are yours to command.”

She puts on the most serious face she can muster to make at the moment, strengthening her resolve.

“…I understand. I’ll be sure to let you know if anything happens.”

A siren then bursts through the marine air and, soon after it ends, the familiar voice on the speakers takes its place as the silence breaker.

“Attention 7th Division! We have reports of GUILT in the stern! 4th Division has secured the area. Move in! I repeat, move in!”

The same soldier from earlier comes back into the picture after having been away for some moments.

“This is Lieutenant Hughes. 7th Division is approaching… Follow me, Takanashi, Izumi…”

“Understood!” She immediately complies.

“Let’s go,” Iori adds.

“Good luck…” Director Miller sounds like he’s trying too hard to sound serene. “You’re the only chance we’ve got.”

As they walk into the boat which will bring them into the belly of the beast, she can’t help but slip her fingers inside of Iori’s hand and squeeze it. When they look into each other’s eyes, she sees how scared they both are of what’s to come; yet she knows they can do it as long as they stick together and don’t forget their objectives. They _must_ succeed, so they _will_ succeed.

 _It’ll be fine_ , she whispers to herself in her native language.


	63. Ἡ Πρώστη

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VI: Οι Δελφοί - Chapter 2]  
> This is but the beginning.

The stronghold they just stepped foot in looks like it was directly ripped from a sci-fi movie. The entire place is strangely squeaky clean, with immaculate installations and vials on display. It’s also weirdly well-lit.

They’re currently marching behind Lieutenant Hughes, surrounded by running soldiers all obeying to his every word. This is a little intimidating, if she’s honest, but she also figures she’ll get used to it after spending some time in these conditions.

“Advance troop, report! This is Lieutenant Hughes! The doctors are in transit. All troops report to the stern! Over and out!” Once he’s done screaming into his walkie-talkie, he addresses her. “It’s this way, Doctor. Follow me.”

“Understood, sir.” She turns her attention to her assistant. “Iori, stay close and keep an eye out.”

“Sure thing, Doctor.”

The reason why she’s so intent on having Iori glance around the room while she tentatively grips his wrist so they don’t get split up in Hell comes from the conversation they had with Banri and Mitsuki before leaving for the Pacific Ocean… It may just be the biggest aspect of their mission as Caduceus staff.

_“Takanashi said Delphi used human subjects in their GUILT research,” Banri states with in the sternest voice she’s heard from him. He’s clearly trying to hide his disgust and remain professional._

_“That’s… That’s so fucked-up, I don’t know where to even begin,” Mitsuki gulps, rage dripping from his voice._

_“In order to cultivate the GUILT samples effectively, they… they needed young tissue. In other words… they needed_ children _.” Banri’s distaste finally truly peaks through in his tone, his face contorting. “They kidnapped them from all around the world.”_

_Tsumugi has to put a hand on her mouth from the nausea rising in her oesophagus. She can feel Iori hold her other hand in his in support._

_“How could they use innocent children like that…?” She whispers under her breath._

Their power walk suddenly stops when Lieutenant Hughes promptly stop in his steps, staring at a giant container.

“…Dear God…” is all he manages to mutter when faced with the horror of the situation.

Is floating before them a young child, their skin deathly pale, their head hairless, their body connected to so many wires she can’t bring herself to count them. She’s speechless, her legs about to buckle under the weight of the situation, but her assistant isn’t this paralyzed with terror and dejection.

“Those bastards…! They’re just children!”

“They’re…” She finally pulls herself together by shaking her head, slapping her cheeks, and straightening her demeanour. “They’re being used as incubators for GUILT. We have to save them! Iori… Get ready to operate!”

“On it, Doctor!”

“Y-you’re not going to operate here, are you?!” The lieutenant yells in shock.

“That’s _exactly_ what we’re going to do,” she replies as she gets out a part of their supplies.

In a couple minutes, Iori and she prepare a makeshift operation room with the material they have and what they can use in the stronghold by making sure to thoroughly disinfect everything first. Once they’re done setting everything up, they slowly remove the poor and barely responding child from his container, put them under anaesthesia and begin the briefing.

“This patient is most likely infected with Kyriaki,” Iori states as he looks at their test results. “No matter what exact strain it is, we’ll have to exert extreme care, as this is GUILT in its most concentrated state.”

“Understood.”

“Something’s written on this console…” Iori comments as he glances at the label on the container’s pedestal, prompting Tsumugi to look over it too. “ _Sinner 1_ …? What could that mean…?” Iori’s voice suddenly shifts to anger as the realization sets in. “Were they trying to _justify_ all of this _somehow_?! It’s still just murder with added steps!!”

“It’s ridiculous…! When I think of how many people died because of this nonsense, and how many we just barely managed to save…”

“Let’s show them that their GUILT has no place in our world.”

She puts on her mask and gloves.

“That’s the plan.”

Now that they’re finally about to operate on this poor child, their minds shift to focus on the surgery at hand.

“Spectral analysis has just arrived… It’s definitely Kyriaki. Please begin the operation.”

Tsumugi, instead of verbally replying, makes her incision. As soon as she gets access to the intestines of the patient, the usual spectacle awaits her.

“Those are Kyriaki lacerations, all right,” Iori comments. “You know what to do.”

She first sutures the thinner lacerations, then takes care of the bigger gashes the usual way: drain the blood pooling over them, pull the two sides together with the forceps (and Iori’s helpful hands to keep the sides in place), and sutures them shut.

“Use the laser to incinerate the GUILT once it’s emerged,” he tells her right as the hunt begin.

It’s nothing unusual, as sad as that sounds. She’s way too used to searching for these demonic bat-like things in people’s organs, only to cut through their membrane to finally bust Kyriaki cells down with a laser, then fixing their mess before the lacerations they make upon exiting the organ cause too much longer-term damage.

“Chiral reaction rising… It’s another Kyriaki!”

And, as always, every single time she defeats a couple of them at once, another duo or trio shows up, and she’s back to using the same process as before. From time to time, horrified by the dropping vitals, she asks Iori to inject the patient with stabilizer, and otherwise focuses entirely on the Kyriaki itself.

“I think that’s the original…” Iori says as three lacerations are made in a messed star shape.

The mature Kyriaki is the one which takes the most time to eradicate, but it’s not really much different than from the immature version of the strain. The only real difference is that it will take three laser beams instead of one, but she can always trust her companion to monitor the situation while she handles it.

“Chiral reaction is negative. GUILT I has been eradicated. Please treat the remaining wounds, Dr Takanashi.”

All there’s left is to suture the couple Kyriaki lacerations that she hasn’t taken care of yet, then closing the initial incision with even more thread and needle. There is no word to describe the relief she gets when she can rub the antibiotic gel on the site of incision and put the bandage on it.

“I still remember the first day we encountered GUILT… That day changed all of our lives forever, didn’t it?” She says as he wipes the sweat from her forehead. “…These children deserve to have memories, good and bad. Let’s go.”

As Iori cleans up the scene, she picks the boy in her arms as delicately as possible and hands them to the Lieutenant.

“Please take the child, Lieutenant!”

“Be careful,” Iori adds while he disinfects the tools. “He’s still very weak.”

“I… I understand, ma’am!” Lieutenant Hughes sounds like he just saw a miracle happen before his eyes.

They don’t have much time to fool around, so they run to the next patient who needs their help.


	64. Ἡ Δεύτερα

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VI: Οι Δελφοί - Chapter 3]  
> The deadly tango continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters are gonna be mega short, my apologies.

Their footsteps echo through the now almost-empty building as soon as their shoes hit the metal flooring.

“This looks like the main research and development area…” Tsumugi comments as she observes their surroundings.

“They used the innocence of these children for their own twisted ideals.” Iori’s voice expresses all the rage she forces herself not to let out. He however soon wanks her wrist, pulling her in his direction. “Doctor, right there! There’s another child!”

“I see him. Let’s go save him too.”

After all, if she didn’t, she’d be ungrateful for other people’s unwilling sacrifices. It’s only normal for her to save them, considering…

_“I still can’t wrap my head around something.” Mitsuki suddenly says. Why in heavens did Takanashi join Delphi? Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t already have everything? He already respect, money, a family… It doesn’t make sense for a guy like him to suddenly join the dark side!”_

_“It’s more like he didn’t have a choice,” Banri responds. “Delphi only tested on children with a specific DNA composition.” Silence ensues. A shiver goes down her spine. “…Tsumugi has that DNA pattern. I think you understand what that means, Mitsuki.”_

_She chokes on her own gasp._

_“Wha-”_

_“They held Tsumugi hostage…?!”_

_“It certainly worked… He had to help them if he wanted to save the only family he had left, his daughter’s life. Any parent would have done the same. But, instead, another child was sacrificed in her place… He had to live with that guilt, and it ate him alive._

_“That’s… That’s terrible…”_

Iori’s voice snaps her back into reality.

“…I’ve prepared our operation table. Are you ready, Doctor? We’ll have to work quickly, so please help me carry him down.”

“On it.”

They quickly get to work preparing him the boy for his upcoming surgery and, once they’re done, immediately start on the pre-operation briefing.

“Spectral analysis is complete. It’s Deftera.”

“The patient is unconscious, but I’m sure it’s still painful to go through. Let’s be careful.” She takes a sigh and finishes prepping. “Beginning the operation.”

They close the impromptu operation room to the rest of their surroundings and, at long last, slip into surgery mode. As usual, they start with Iori’s observations while she makes the initial incision.

“This must be the Deftera subject. This is the same GUILT Yotsuba Aya had. Let’s make it quick, Dr Takanashi! We’ve got to save this child!”

She isn’t exactly surprised to see that this operation hits home for Iori. Unlike with Kyriaki, Aya wasn’t much older than the child they’re currently operating on, so the parallels are much easier to see. This gives her even more incentive to save this innocent boy who never asked for any of this: they managed to save Aya, so there’s no reason this should go south.

This time, they directly start on the liver, where they get greeted by the disgraceful wasteland of tumours left by Deftera.

“Use the laser to incinerate those and draw the Deftera out,” he reminds her to do, which she immediately follows through with.

Once she’s done, two little wing-shaped creatures emerges from the lung tissue and start dancing around, avoiding each other for the most part, threatening to create tumours in their trail.

“There they are! You know what to do, Doctor!”

Oh yes does she know the procedure to follow from now on: wait until they meet so she can drain their tissue. To accelerate the process, she tries to guide them towards each other using antibiotic gel, which also allows the patient’s condition to slightly improve as she does so. She needs to repeat these steps three times while also making sure the tumours they create get lasered by either her hands or Iori’s.

“GUILT drainage complete. Once it stabilizes, begin the excision.”

The most delicate step is now. She needs to remove the mess they’re leaving as soon as possible before they damage the patient’s vitals too badly. As such, she quickly excises the tumour left behind and safely patch it up with a membrane Iori hands her and a copious amount of biological gel.

“We’ve finished treating the first area. Please hang in there!” He tells the patient more than he tells her.

After she’s finished suturing the liver area, they move onto the lung, where an even worse sight probably awaits them.

“Proceeding to the second infected area. Are you ready, Doctor?”

She nods and makes her incision. As soon as she’s done so, a realization quickly settles in: there may not be a landfill of tumours, yet the procedure will only be harder due to another “little” thing…

“There are two pairs again. Don’t let two cells of the same colour come into contact!”

And so it begins once more: Deftera’s deadly dance and her attempts to stop it as soon as possible. She needs to two-time dealing with the sets, her breath sticking inside her airwaves. In the end, and after battling with two mischievous sets of devils, she manages to pull it off and remove two harmful tumours, concealing both holes with membranes once more.

“The Deftera has been removed. Let’s close him up.”

The procedure ends with the final sutures, gel application and bandage. As soon as she’s done, she sighs.

“What a relief…”

“Once they shut this facility down, the world won’t have to face GUILT anymore. Let’s do what we can, Dr Takanashi.”

She doesn’t take the time to really reply aside from an almost quiet nod, instead deciding to pack everything up and clean the mess they made with him. Once that’s all done, she sighs once more.

“I think you’re moving even faster. Great work, Dr Takanashi.”

“…We’ve operated on a lot of GUILT victims together… I hope that, after today, we never have to operate on one again. Let’s move along, Iori.”

“Roger.”


	65. Ἡ Τρίτη

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VI: Οι Δελφοί - Chapter 4]  
> They may be able to end this all.

Lieutenant Hughes is back, so Tsumugi immediately proceeds to hand him the fragile patient they just finished operating on.

“Lieutenant, here’s the next child! We need to get him out of here asap.”

“Roger that, Doctor!”

“Lieutenant,” Iori chimes in now that he’s finished disinfecting tools once again, “we need more antibiotic gel, and we’re out of blankets.”

“Got it!”

“Thank you for all your services, sir! We’ll continue searching for the other children in the meantime.”

It’s, of course, entirely her responsibility to do so. That’s the least she can do.

_For the first time since forever, Tsumugi has locked her office’s door. The last time must have been to let Iori rest after his collapse, come to think of it…_

_“…I now know why my father joined Delphi.”_

_Iori really doesn’t look like he knows what to say._

_“Doctor, I…”_

_“I know he only did all of these awful things to protect me, but it doesn’t make his actions forgivable. I understand that better than anyone could… I can’t blame people for hating my father. Half his sin is my responsibility._

_“Doctor, if I may, you’re wrong there.”_

_“How…?”_

_“Delphi is responsible for that. It had nothing to do with you.”_

_The smirk that appears on her lips is unnatural, dishonest even._

_“No, not since my father made his decision. How could he do something like that just to save my life? Another child died in my place, and I now have to live with it.”_

_She can sense in Iori’s gaze he doesn’t agree with her statement. Maybe the awful, awful truth of it all hasn’t caught up to him just yet._

“…These children deserve to be so much more than test subjects for GUILT. They deserve real lives back with their families!”

Iori gives her a soft smile, the kind he’d have tried to hide not too long ago.

“I assume you’re ready for the next patient, then, Doctor?”

“I’m always ready if it means saving a life. Let’s do this.”

All the resolve she’s managed to collect for herself melts as soon as her eyes glance over the next tube.

“This child… could have been me. I’m…” Her voice catches in her throat, tears prickling at her eyes. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry my father was such a fool,” she tells the unconscious girl whose face strangely remind her of her younger self despite them actually having so little in common.

“Doctor, if you wish so much to make it up to them, you can make it happen,” Iori tells her as he puts his hand on her shoulder. “And I’m here to help.”

“You’re right; this is exactly how _I_ can make up for _his_ mistakes.” She wipes the tears away from her eyes, puts on her mask and gloves, and strengthens her shoulders once more. “Let’s get started then.”

The surgery begins in a solemn atmosphere despite the makeshift nature of their settings, the urgency of the situation and precarious conditions.

“Doctor, I understand these children could have been you instead. While I don’t know how painful this must be to you, I can nonetheless assist you with everything you need me to do. We must save them. You’ve managed to save Mr Sunohara from this on the spot, so there should be no issue there. I believe in you.”

“I’ll be in your hands too then.” She can’t help but give him a smile. “Thank you very much for always being by my side, Iori.”

He does a terrible job at hiding his own smile.

“I’m merely doing my job.”

Tsumugi starts with an incision on the stomach area, granting her access to the zone affected by the dreaded Triti.

“This is the area where the Triti is multiplying. Follow my lead, please.”

Like back in Africa, she’s impressed by how quickly Iori can understand how Triti is going to spread and how to stop it in its tracks. She can just focus on acting as their hands properly pulling the thorns up while he acts as the brain.

“That thorn has vaporized, you must quickly drain it!” is her cue to request the drain and vacuum the poisonous vapor away before resuming the extraction of the thorns and membranes. It’s not the easiest job and she feels somewhat cornered by how quickly Triti can spread again if they

“We can’t rest until all the Triti is gone… Stay focused, Doctor.”

She eventually finishes removing every last bit of GUILT tissue, triangle by triangle, putting all of it in the trail handed to her.

“Triti excision complete! Well done, Doctor…”

Some sutures and a bandage later, and the procedure is all done.

“Thank you, Dr Takanashi. The nightmare is almost over.”

“I should be the one thank you, Iori.”

They once again clean everything up and hand the patient to the competent authorities who came with them. Like before, Lieutenant Hughes waits for them to be all finished before walking up to them.

“We’re ready for the next child. There will be more, right?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Tsumugi tells him.

“I was just thinking about my daughter’s first cold… I’d have done anything to make her feel better. I think I’m starting to understand why you two are risking your lives.”

Truth be told, she doesn’t know what to tell him. His love for his daughter is sweet, but when she remembers she hasn’t been loved in years and what terrible path the love she got made her father go down, and the catastrophic consequences of said path, her feelings can’t help but turn bittersweet. The wound’s still too fresh.

“Go on, hurry! The next child needs you!”

His words pull her out of her thoughts.

“Y-you’re right! We need to get going, Iori.”

“Agreed.”


	66. Ἡ Τετάρτη

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VI: Οι Δελφοί - Chapter 5]  
> They can do it.

They’d be running to their next objectives, but it seems like their exploits are catching up to her.

“I kind of wish there was time to take a break…”

“Are you okay, Doctor?”

“Yeah, I’ll be alright. Please forgive my whining.”

 _Come on, you’re a doctor, just keep working!_ She internally screams to herself. All she needs to do is keep her objective in mind…

_“…It turns out Eidoth International was just a front cover for Delphi,” Banri says with a flat, trying-to-sound-surprised tone as he looks over a recent report from Caduceus International._

_“How is that possible?” Mitsuki, on the other hand, sounds astonished. “Eidoth Pharmaceuticals was a strong proponent on worldwide genetical research, weren’t they?”_

_“Makes perfect sense to me. They certainly had the financial backing… Money wasn’t an object. Publicly, they were a legitimate business, while they sponsored bioterrorism behind the scenes. Eidoth just allowed them funding and an opportunity to spread their dogma.”_

_“Then, who’s behind all this?” Tsumugi asks._

_“Delphi’s leader has managed to keep his identity a secret,” Banri replies. “He’s European, supposedly, but we don’t even know that for sure. He calls himself… Adam.”_

“…He’s got to be on this ship somewhere,” Tsumugi whispers to herself.

They’ve streamlined the process to operate on the “Sinners”, so prepping the poor child for surgery only takes them a couple minutes now.

“…These are really annoying…” Tsumugi rumbles as she prepares once more.

“You mean that weird writing? I think that’s just Delphi propaganda.”

“ _A time to accept death_ … Death usually isn’t the answer. Especially not if you’re a child!”

“…I wonder if we’re looking at it the wrong way. Professor Takanashi couldn’t accept your death, but I think he agreed with Delphi, at least to some extent.”

“You’re saying death has value?”

“Well… Discussing it with Yotsuba did make me think it’s sometimes a way out of misery, in some extreme cases where pain becomes unbearable, but that wasn’t what I meant. After all, there are people who can’t find meaning in life.”

“I think I know where you’re coming from. We believe that everyone needs help from doctors, but maybe that’s human nature. Maybe everyone wants to feel needed. We shouldn’t assume we have all the answers. I’m a doctor, so I’ve chosen life over death. If I find someone who needs my help, I’ll help them. That’s it.” She finishes putting on her gloves. “Get ready for the operation.”

The procedure begins, barely leaving her the time to remember this is what almost took her mentor’s life always from him when he had such a promising future ahead of him. She needs to ignore the fury rising over this thought in order to conduct this procedure properly, so she shakes her head and forgets about it for a couple minutes.

“I understand people have other circumstances than me, but if my life was full of pain and dying could end my suffering… I’d still choose to live. This is how our patients feel and it’s why they depend on us!”

For the first time, Tetarti is on the lungs, so she makes her incision there and start on removing the toxin sacs festering at the surface. Once they’re removed, she puts membranes over the holes left in their wake and rubs them against the tissue with antibiotic gel.

“Excision of diverticula complete. Keep an eye out for the Tetarti.” Before long, three bug-like creatures show up. “There they are! Make sure to use the correct serum…”

Tetarti is one of the easiest strains to operate on due to its straightforward procedure: inject the coloured serums into the matching cell, do it three times for each colour, and the wave ends there. The hardest part is to actually hit the Tetarti cell with the needle and have it stuck around long enough for all of the syringe’s contents to go it, but that’s it.

“Chiral reaction is dropping! Injection is going smoothly.”

A couple waves of three Tetarti follows suit, each other getting ended by their serums and her hand. Between waves, she always makes sure to inject some stabilizer in the patient’s system to improve their condition as much as possible. After a couple waves, no more cells come to the surface.

“Tetarti’s poison is no match for our medicine… Let’s finish treating the patient’s wounds so we can close him up.”

She shuts the incision up with her thread and carefully applies the bandage.

“Another successful operation… The war’s almost over. Let’s keep fighting, Doctor.”

They tidy their settings once more, prompting her to let out a relieved sigh.

“We did it…”

“Where are transporting these children to?” Iori asks her.

“I’ve heard the Navy’s taking them back to Caduceus USA. Director Miller will make sure they’re returned to their families.

“I see. That’s a relief.”


	67. Ἡ Πέμπτη

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VI: Οι Δελφοί - Chapter 6]  
> These demons are familiar.

Lieutenant Hughes runs to them. Upon stopping, he salutes them. Tsumugi can’t help but salute back.

“Status report, ma’am! Most of the vessel is under our control. Backup will arrive shortly to secure this area as well.”

“Understood. Can you tell them to hold off on the backup for now?”

“That might be a bad idea…” Iori chimes in. “What if something happens?”

“We’re still treating patients in here. I don’t want our operating room to turn into a warzone.”

“…Good thinking,” he replies.

This takes her back to a part of the conversation she had with Banri and Mitsuki before leaving…

_“Delphi tried to manipulate life and death… They wanted to rule over an empty world as gods of nothingness.”_

_“Doctors may help their patients stay alive but that decision has never been ours to make. Only the patient has the right to decide between life and death.”_

_“We’ve reached a point where we can do more than just treat diseases. We can read genetics to detected an illness long before symptoms appear. To put it simply, we may just have the ability to control life. However, a person’s life is much different than their lifespan. We don’t just keep people alive: we give them their lives back. That’s what Caduceus believes.”_

“Doctor, I found the fifth child!” Iori tells her, bringing her back to the present day.

“Okay, I’m on my way!”

When she gets to Iori’s location, he has already prepared everything for the incoming procedure.

“Hmm… This is Pempti. You remember how to treat it, don’t you?”

She can sense some rage in his voice. Not that she doesn’t know where it’d come from.

“Of course… I couldn’t forget that. This child needs our help, so let’s get started, Iori!”

“…Ready when you are.”

“Let’s start the operation!”

Iori takes a deep breath, then opens the procedure with a shudder and a slightly shaky voice.

“We almost lost my brother to this strain of GUILT… Dr Yaotome locked himself in the lab to come up with the cure and on the days after the final procedure, you both fought day and night, and I ended up ruining my own health over it… He wanted to perfect the Pempti treatment. What we brought today is a drastic improvement over the original. If we don’t save this child, Yaotome and Mitsuki might never forgive us. Let’s begin! We won’t let my brother’s suffering be in vain!”

This is her cue to make her incision on the patient’s liver, where Pempti festers.

“Just so we’re sure to succeed, I’ll run you down the different steps. First, we need to expose the core. Inject the nanomachine.”

She handles her syringe with the greatest precaution, making sure she picks from the right vials laying before her. As soon as she’s done with it, she watches the Pempti tissue reduce in size.

“It’s working…! Continue the injection.”

Thanks to the improved treatment, she only has to inject the same serum a second time to undress the strain and make it vulnerable.

“There’s the core! You’ll need to use the laser to destroy it!”

You don’t have to tell her twice to fire the Gaku-patented laser straight into the spinning core. Before long, it shows signs of slowing down, then disappearing back into the tissue.

“Chiral readings dropping. You destroyed the core.”

Of course, they both know better than that, so they don’t get their hopes high. Sure enough, the core comes back to life merely seconds after, prompting her to grab the laser and resume the procedure once again.

“Like I expected, it evolved, just like before… There’s no time to relax!”

She blasts every new cell type the core now throws at her, making sure to burn every single one of them to a crisp. After some waves, their main target rears its ugly head one more.

“The core has surfaced. Apply the laser, now!”

Her hand tremble a little, but she never drops her tool, instead making sure to maximize efficiency.

“It’s working! Chiral reaction is decreasing!”

The waves of other cells continue coming and going, but she never lets up. If she stops focusing for even a second, she may let the parasite get a momentum she’ll never catch up on; and that’s the last thing they need. She can’t tell if time goes by slowly and quickly due to how concentrated she needs to be and how many waves are coming.

“Chiral numbers dropped below 50%... Continue with the laser!”

It’s almost a routine, now. Take care of the different sorts of damaging cells Pempti throws around to protect itself, profit from a time where it’s weakened from activating its defence system, start over again once it regains enough energy to resume its circus act. Eventually, however, she manages to exhaust it enough that it can’t respond back to her laser, and self-destructs, dragging its membrane down with itself.

“Let me check the Chiral reaction…” Iori muses as he observes the situation, then lets his face lit up. “Zero Chiral reaction! You completely eradicated the Pempti!”

She quickly closes the incision shut and puts a bandage over it.

“His vitals are stable… This child is going to make it! I’m sure Dr Yaotome and my brother will be relieved to about it. There should only be two more children… We’re almost finished!”

They finish cleaning up right as the lieutenant shows up to them once more.

“Sir, we just received word from Major Miller. They’re allocating a transport plane for the children.”

“Thank goodness…” Tsumugi reacts with a sigh of relief.

“The UN isn’t too happy… The planes are supposed to be for VIPs only.”

“Thank Dr Miller for us. It’s good to have him on our side.”


	68. Ἡ Ἕκτη

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VI: Οι Δελφοί - Chapter 7]  
> She's never been alone in this fight and, even in the middle of the ocean.

As Iori brings the sixth child to their impromptu OR, he muses out loud.

“Dr Takanashi, these children each seem to have different strain of GUILT. This, of course, suggests there should be two more. Can you make it?”

“I’ll be fine… I can’t let everyone down now.”

She may feel exhausted by the ordeal, but she only needs to remind herself of the words of her companions, old and, new, to get pumped up again.

_“It’s rough being the best out there is, isn’t it? You get all the rough jobs.” Kaoru tells her in the staff room while she sips on her tea. “Even if I had the Healing Touch, I think I’d recommend you for this. You have a gift, Tsumugi. Use it.”_

_“I heard you’re on your way to wipe Delphi off the map…” Ryuu tells her at night. “Tsumugi, you’re truly unbelievable… Walking onto the battlefield with a scalpel…” He pats her shoulder. “We’re all pulling for you, Tsumugi, don’t forget it. Good luck!”_

_“…Hello, Tsumugi? This is Yuki.” The phone call immediately grabs her attention. “Banri told me you’re helping the Navy raid Delphi headquarters. Momo and I wanted to wish you luck.” She can hear a snicker. “Haha… You’ve become quite the daredevil, haven’t you, Dr Takanashi? Remember, stay calm and work quickly, just like always.” Momo whispers something on the other side of the line. “_

“You know, Iori,” she continues after a brief silence, “I never thought I’d ever have to operate in a situation like this…”

“But you’re here now, Dr Takanashi, with patients to treat. There’s only one thing you can do.”

“I know, Iori. We’re going to finish what we came here to do.”

The pre-operation briefings are starting to resemble less and less what they both got used to in Kibou and Caduceus.

“The children must have homes…” She can’t help but make her anger felt. “They should be playing there, not trapped in this lab!”

“Don’t worry, Doctor. Once we stop GUILT, they can all go back where they belong.”

“You’re right. This ends today!”

Surgery begins.

“Each GUILT is kept dormant inside these children for testing… The only reason they’re alive is to nurture that disease. If we left them here, there’s no doubt Delphi would keep them alive, but what kind of life would that be? I want to give them a chance to find happiness!”

“Please begin the procedure, then, Doctor.”

“On it!” She replies to his smirk with an incision on the intestines.

It’s a classic Paraskevi sight: a bunch of unnatural-looking lacerations.

“Suture these. Start the extraction once it appears.”

She works in silence, remembering how taken aback she was when Kaoru contracted it thanks to the act of a malevolent injection needle. As expected, once she’s done there, the sneaky worm makes its way to outside.

“There’s the GUILT! Use the laser to make it stop moving!”

After this, the routine comes back: laser the worm, cut it in half with the scalpel, watch it split in two, rinse and repeat with every part until they’re small enough to be extracted. The point comes a bit too late to her taste: she’d like to get rid of it as soon as possible.

“Dr Takanashi! You should be able to extract it now!”

Bit by bit, she gets the job done, instructing Iori to inject stabilizer from time to time as Paraskevi struggles against her hands and slashes into the organ. They almost lose the patient once and nearly let Paraskevi burrow into the intestine a couple times due to her hands being busy somewhere else (Iori made sure to quickly use the laser as soon as he noticed she wouldn’t be able to do it in time). They can’t afford any additional damage be done to the patient, so their focus is maximal until the last Paraskevi bit has been secured inside a tray.

“Paraskevi extraction complete! Please close up the patient.”

He doesn’t need to ask her twice.

“The operation is complete and the child is safe.”

“Thank goodness…” She whispers as she admires the bandage she just finished applying.

They once again clean what needs to be cleaned while they chatter.

“You haven’t used your Healing Touch yet?”

“I feel like we’ll need it for Savato, so no. I’d rather spare me an unnecessary spell of exhaustion.” She giggles: he’s adorable to worry about her like that. “I’m fine.”

“Is there anything on your mind?”

“Ah… Only the patients. That’s the only thing I’m focusing on right now.”

“I think you’ll be doing just fine, then.”

“Thank you for your trust in me, Nurse Izumi.”


	69. Ἡ Ἑβδόμενη

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VI: Οι Δελφοί - Chapter 8]  
> Is this the end? The very end of the fight?

Lieutenant Hughes shows up soon after they’re done with their latest surgery, accompanied by fellow soldiers. He’s addressing them with a salute.

“Come in Base Camp, come in… The sixth child is in our custody. We believe there’s only one left, but Dr Takanashi seems fatigued. We may have to take a break…”

“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine,” she can’t help but chime in uninvited, prompting her to shudder a little when every man on board starting incredulously staring at her. “We’re starting the final procedure.”

Look at how far they’ve all come…

_“We should be thankful Dr Takanashi arrived when she did. There’s not much a rusty surgeon like me could do in this situation. It’s the young and fresh who build our future.” Banri turns to her before Iori and she leave the room with Mitsuki. “…Good luck, Tsumugi.”_

_“Do you ever regret becoming a surgeon, Tsumugi?” Mitsuki asks in once they’re back in his room. “I don’t. I used to feel responsible for the death of a loved one, but… I’d never regret my decision. You can do this… It’s why you became a doctor in the first place.”_

_“I’ve come here to assist as your assigned nurse,” Iori confesses to her in her office. “But I didn’t come here only due to some hierarchical duties. I also wanted to be here for you.” He turns around, his face flushed in bright crimson, prompting her to chuckle. “Um… Don’t misunderstand me, Doctor. I didn’t mean it like… that.” He clears his throat and regains his composure. “You said you wanted to become a doctor I’d be proud of.”_

_The smile he gives her could make her melt on the spot._

_“…Well, I’m proud of you… Tsumugi. I’ll be watching your back, no matter where must go. I’ll never run away for any reason as long as I’m by your side.”_

“Why are you smiling?” Iori asks her as she just exits daydreaming for the nth time today.

“Sorry, I’m just… happy.”

“Because the children are going to be all fine by the end of the day?”

“Kind of… I’m just glad I became a doctor. My mother died a long time ago, from a disease that was said to be incurable… There really was nothing they could’ve done back then.”

“That’s why you became a doctor, then.” She’s only now realizing she’s never told Iori about this story, only Riku back when she was still a surgeon at Kibou.

“I know those doctors tried everything they could to save her. In the end, my mom still died… but the doctors learnt a lot from treating her disease. There’s a cure for it, now. Doctors and patients are fighting side by side. Like my mom, and like all the GUILT patients we’ve treated so far, we’re here today to fight against a new disease, because people sacrificed, or wanted to do so if so needed, their lives for the sake of medicine.”

Iori doesn’t add anything, but Lieutenant Hughes is sure to bring them back to Earth.

“Dr Takanashi! We’ve located the last child!”

She bows in thanks, then immediately shifts her gaze to her fellow nurse.

“Come on, Iori… We can stop GUILT, once and for all.”

Minutes later, the soldiers have brought the last patient of the day to their OR and the pre-operation briefing starts in a semblance of secrecy.

“I’ve come to understand what people feel as they battle with disease… If I focus on that, I can use my abilities to help them, so I won’t lose sight of that, for any reason. It doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing… I’ll always be a doctor!”

The last surgery against GUILT begins, so the weight of the words they exchange now feels so much heavier on their shoulders.

“Doctors and patients are fighting side by side… These are some poetic words you said back there, Dr Takanashi.” Iori gets serious again. “I think they ring true. No matter what the circumstances are, most people will choose to go on living. That’s why doctors exist. Medical science is always changing and adapting, like history. People will one day look at GUILT like it’s meant to be – as an awful footnote of this history.”

She makes her incision over the chest of the patient who, sure enough, displays Savato in all of its life-draining horror. However, this time, this isn’t her father, so she doesn’t feel the same smothering hands over her throat – she’s done this before. She’ll manage again and save this child from the web trapping her.

“We have to remove the nest first,” he reminds her. “Cut off Savato’s energy source!”

It’s not their first Savato procedure, so she applies the same tactic she did as last time: she cuts thread by thread, trying to maximize what one scalpel can do before it’s melted to uselessness, making sure to incinerate every immature Savato summoned by the main unit, until the nest isn’t anymore.

“The nest is reforming,” Iori comments as the spider quickly covers the heart in its webs once more, “but if we keep this up…”

She doesn’t let go of her objective as she asks for another scalpel, hoping her assistant can manage to prevent the others they’re using from melting too badly so they can use them later down the line. They came prepared because he expected they’d have to face off against Savato again, but it’d seem his stock is running short considering a third nest reforming gets on his patience.

“What the…? It just won’t give up!”

She ignores it and cuts through the threads again, making the job even faster this time from how used she now is to it. Before long, the heart is freed from the web and Savato starts panicking around its surface.

“The nest is destroyed! Remove the surface and attack the tissue.”

Easier said than done, as usual, but that won’t get to her: she starts to laser through Savato’s without skipping a beat.

“Its shell is being neutralized. Please continue the procedure.”

Of course, Savato isn’t about to go down without a fight, especially as it’s been engineered to cause as much damage as possible. She really is cheating with death here.

“Lacerations are forming! You need to suture those!”

She asks for the thread and needle as soon as he says it, quickly fixing the injury before resuming attacking the main threat. The more aggressive it gets, the more it feels threatened: she may have more to suture, she doesn’t mind if it means getting rid of this threat.

“I think it’s working… Keep attacking!”

Eventually, it slows down enough that its attacks barely take any time to counteract.

“Finished! Now attack its tissues with the scalpel!”

In a déjà-vu moment, she slashes Savato’s shell open, grabs the black vial and injects an entire syringe worth of the serum right into the spider parasite.

_Now’s our chance, Doctor!_

It doesn’t take kindly to it, as it leaves a star of lacerations behind it and starts zooming around the organ. She sutures the entire wound shut before, confronted with the impossibility of hitting it with the syringe again, a star of her own appears in her vision and her surroundings slow down again.

_Come on… Concentrate…!_

She draws a second star on top of the previous one, making time come to a complete halt.

_Showtime._

She injects the serum a second time, ending the fight against “Death Itself” in a bang as time goes back to its normal course.

“Your Healing Touch never ceases to amaze me, no matter how many times I see it…” Iori comments, breathless. “We’ve eradicated Savato. Please finish up, Dr Takanashi.”

You really don’t have to ask her twice to close everything up and put an end to all of this horror.

“It’s… finally over… GUILT has been destroyed, once and for all…”

She tumbles backward as she steps out from the OR, her head spinning a little. His hands catch her before she can fall and sit her down properly on the ground.

“You did it, Doctor,” Iori tells her with a smile that not even a mask can hide.

“I couldn’t have done it without your help, you know…!”

God, she wants to cry of relief and happiness now. Talk about being like a child.

“Do you think it’s over?”

“As much as I’d like to tell you that, yes, we’re done, I just have the feeling that’s not true… We saved all seven children, but we still have one more thing left to do.”

“I think I know what you mean.”

She gets up on her own and discards her scrubs.

“We have to uncover the truth behind GUILT, now.”


	70. Ὁ Αδάμ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VI: Οι Δελφοί - Chapter 9]  
> This should be the time for truths and revelations, at long last.

Tsumugi feels much better now that she can just walk in her Caduceus uniform, and the feeling of success is still flowing in her veins – yet there’s this one sentiment nagging at her in the back of her mind that just won’t leave her alone.

“The children are safe… Delphi has nothing left… It’s over… Adam.”

As she’s about to look around the ship to find where the devil behind this entire messed-up manifesto could be, a voice startles her.

“Great job, Dr Takanashi!”

When she turns around, she realizes it’s no one but Director Miller, standing as stiffly usual, albeit with a tiny smile under his moustache.

“Mission complete! I’d like you to return to the deck.”

“What about Adam?” Iori then asks, interrupting the conversation.

“We can take it from here, Doctor. Let the UN handle what’s left of Delphi.”

“We don’t know what else they were researching! There could still be—”

Dr Miller interrupts her before she can finish conveying her message, his tone suddenly chilling.

“…What I’m about to tell you is strictly confidential. Eidoth International was in fact run by Adam, leader of Delphi. He was born in Austria as Erich von Raitenau… in 1897. Nobody’s seen or heard from him in over a decade, and… Well, do the math. If Raitenau was still alive, he’d be over a hundred.”

“…What the…?!” Her sentence cuts itself off.

“Exactly. I doubt he’s still alive. The best you could hope for is some sort of journal, and we couldn’t let you see top-secret information. This… is an order.”

“But, if he’s dead, how could any of this—?” Iori suddenly stops in his words, frantically turning around. “…What’s that?!”

**_Your medicine serves only to alienate Man from the natural world. Only humanity would force others to live lives not their own._ **

She doesn’t need to make an essay to know who that could be.

“It’s Adam! He’s alive!”

“That isn’t possible!” Dr Miller screams in disbelief.

“…I’m going, sir. I have to see the truth for myself!”

**_Is Man’s hubris so great that he would violate life by prolonging it? The final stage of life is death. To deny that is foolishness. Your vast, undying civilizations will spill over into the sea while the Old and Infirmed become a rot at Society’s core._ **

“You’re insane! My father may have worked for you, but he never, ever believed your lies!”

**_Man sought harmony with nature, but instead found everlasting life as a parasite, feeding off of the Earth’s resources. That is why mankind was blessed with disease. It is natural selection, Nature passing judgement on Man. You believe medical science will save mankind, but a surplus of humans will only destroy the world we live in. I alone know the sole path to Salvation…_ **

“You’re talking in circles…” Iori grumbles.

“This has to stop, Adam.”

Without thinking even twice, they both rush into the Creator’s Chamber, where a nasty surprise awaits them. Its effect doesn’t miss on them.

“He’s…”

“You’re not even alive?!” Tsumugi yells in shock and disgust.

Is staring at them a living corpse whose skin is partially covered in what has to be either moss or mould, whose long hair flows down the building-sized test tube the body is contained in, its hollow eyes failing to rise up to them. And yet, and yet…

It _speaks_.

_He_ speaks.

**_Sins are born of my mortal flesh… and disperse into the world as GUILT. There, they are altered; they prosper… In the end, they return to me._ **

“I can’t even look at him…” Iori hisses with nausea filling his voice.

Thus, I have become the last man. I live outside this world as not to taint it. I alone have achieved harmony. I alone know balance.

“He can’t be the one speaking… Where’s that voice coming from?”

“You’re not alive,” she says, now less to convince herself and reassure the disbelieving Iori than to really put her foot down. “What were you hoping to accomplish? You’re already dead!”

**_There is one final GUILT… the one named “Bliss”. Those who abandon selfish desires and follow the true way… will be granted this final blessing, born within me._ **

“You just want to watch people die!”

And then, a familiar feeling. Darkness creeping on her, blinding her vision… A feeling of vertigo, of loss of balance…

_What the…? It’s getting dark…_

“Medicine will exist because we won’t accept suffering and disease!”

**_I am mankind’s origin… a being who accepts fate without wanting which is not mine. Don’t you see the future you are leaving to your offspring? Ten billion humans, fighting over a barren rock._ **

Her throat is now starting to sting, prompting her to cough if she wants to speak.

“What gives you the right… to decide who lives…?”

She loses visuals on Adam, her eyes closing without her consent and not bulging even a little to open.

**_Can you not see it? I am dead, yet I still live. This is the true fate of mankind._ **

“You’re wrong! As long as a person chooses to live, they can still bring others happiness!” She draws a heavy breath. “Dammit… Where did he…?” And then starts the rambling to herself, which she now can’t tell if it’s internal or not. “I can’t see! Where’d go?!”

A voice peaks through the veil that’s been draped over her ears and eyes.

_Dr Takanashi! Nurse Izumi!_

Who…?

_This is Delta Five. The targets have been exposed to an airborne hallucinogen. I’m initiating an emergency recovery._

The voice turns into her general direction and she can feel hands grab her shoulders, yet she can barely react…

_C’mon, Doctor, stay with me…!_


	71. Ἡ Τελευτή

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VI: Οι Δελφοί - Chapter 10]  
> It's over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you love my unnecessarily introspective bonus chapters in Iori's POV, because we're here again.

Iori’s got a feeling of déjà-vu.

He supposes the only reason why he’s got such a feeling is because he usually doesn’t board a boat overnight like that and, as such, can’t help but be called back to the first time he crossed the ocean with Tsumugi to dismantle Delphi. However, this time, they don’t have the luxury of a cruise ship and are instead stuck in a military boat with only a cover over their shoulders. Admittedly, it’s fairly thick and engineered to make them easily feel warm – but it doesn’t help him from sometimes shivering.

He woke up only a couple minutes ago. If he understood correctly, they both breathed in what was essentially hallucinogen gas in such quantities that they hallucinated a conversation with a corpse. He honestly has very little idea of what happened in there, considering they were both exhausted and his memories are fuzzy from being intoxicated like that. It’d make more sense to believe this was all a big hallucination anyway. It’s one of those times where he just doesn’t feel like digging further into.

Aside from this thing nagging at him, it’s all over, and he can barely get over that. Maybe it’s because he’s still in a groggy state, but there’s a feeling like that can’t really be true. They’ve fought so intensely and for so long that it just felt like, for the longest time, that it’d never be over, that they’d always have to fight and struggle against an enemy who, for just as much time, didn’t have a singular, true face. They didn’t know who was doing all of this and why.

Not that Adam’s answers – if they weren’t hallucinations, that is – gave them much to go off from. His reasoning was so backwards, so abstract, that his mind still hasn’t come to enough terms to grasp in. The entire scene was surreal, from being able to talk to the deceased, to discovering some sort of “bliss”, to waking up on a boat with an oxygen mask over his mouth. He doesn’t have that thing on him now, and neither does she, but he’s still the only one awake.

Is Tsumugi going to wake up? He can only assume so. The medical staff who examined them didn’t seem too worried for either of them, so he can only be certain she’ll pull through it and wake up before he can even realize it. This has to be the biggest ordeal she’s ever gone through, at least as far as he knows, but there’s no reason why that should be winning over her. Not that he’s going to purposefully wake her up to confirm his theories: if she’s still out, it must be on her own accord. Operating on seven children in a row and inhaling hallucinogen gas must have been exhausting on her. No wonder why she’s resting despite the cold winds and the noisy waves.

Despite the commotion he woke up to, they’re now somewhat all alone on their little boat. The rest of the crew is taking care of the boat, he supposes: he’s frankly too tired himself to actually check if that’s the case. He does enjoy being left alone with her, though, so you won’t find him complaining about the sudden silence.

The calm atmosphere allows for him to make a retrospective now that the heat of action has passed and left them with only a warm feeling of success and soft relief. They’ve gone so far ever since he joined Hope Hospital to replace Nurse Osaka. What began as him nagging a beginning doctor that clearly had troubles filling a surgeon’s shoes ended in saving the world from a bioterrorist menace with outdated standards taken to the extreme. Clearly, this has to be the polar opposite of the peaceful, casual atmosphere of Hope Hospital or the weirdly friendly corridors of Caduceus Japan.

He has the feeling this won’t be the end of their trials and tribulations, however, unlike her. He has no rational idea as to why he’s feeling this way when everything around them is pretty much outright telling him this is all over and nothing more than a sombre footnote in Japan’s future history books, and yet… There is just something about the sudden end to it all, to Caduceus USA’s weird secrecy over documents they didn’t even discover themselves, which simply can’t sit right with him.

In the meantime, he can’t deny the thing he wants the most is to finally be able to rest. Tsumugi and he have been pushed to the brink of their energy these past few weeks, being sent in the middle of the ocean, if not on another coast altogether, to help dismantle entire branches of Delphi at once. He may not have been as badly affected as the one actually conducting the surgeries, he also can’t say he didn’t get tired by assisting her, pouring all of his mind into his objectives over and over again. He doesn’t mind having a day off soon, if possible.

He doesn’t feel like asking for it, however. He’d absolutely pitch for Tsumugi to get one simply for how much effort she put into all of the surgeries she conducted while keeping all possible complaints to herself, always giving her best and flashing a smile to her worried patients. There’s too much good in her heart for her to even think about asking for a day off. Take his energy away, but please don’t tear off the genuine smile from her face.

A sudden warmth gently inserts itself inside his hand, which he can quickly deduce is Tsumugi waking up, bringing an end to all of his midnight brooding. He expects her to sit up and lift her head, but instead, she’s content leaning on him, her head right under his jaw, her hair trickling down his shirt. In the silver light of the full moon, her tired eyes shine like gems. It must be his bias, but he’ll also indulge in the silent poetry of his emotionally feverish soul.

“Welcome back among us, Doctor,” he tells her in a somewhat groggy voice. Not clearing your throat after sleeping for a long time does that to you, perhaps. “How are you?”

“Tired, but happy,” is all she replies before the silence comes back in a gentle wave.


	72. Ὁ Ὠφέλιμος

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [INTERMISSION ΩMEGA]  
> Misery loves company, doesn't it?

Well then. Now that Delphi is just about to die, where is he supposed to go? It’s not like he didn’t see it coming, but he’s also terrible at making plans in advance, for some reason. Sure, he has a GUILT sample of some strain he’s never seen before in his time working with them, but seriously, what use will it have now that there’s nobody to do literally anything with it?

Well, he supposes all that’s left for him to do is turn himself in and hope for a lighter sentence than if he had been caught red-handed. It’s not ideal, but really, what has ever been so in his life? That’s right, _nothing_ , so his best solution is to just accept his fate. At least, behind bars, he won’t be able to hurt other people to save his own skin. That’ll serve him right.

It’s a dumb idea, but he should try proposing his services to Caduceus rather than crumbs of medical criminals. What’s the worst that could happen? Getting arrested? At least, prison seems like a place he should be going to. He’d have a place to sleep, even if the bedding will be hard and uncomfortable as fuck. Maybe they’ll just hang him for direct complicity in crimes against humanity like he just heard Delphi got accused of.

He’s heard Caduceus USA is withholding information with the help of the US Navy, so he could always pretend like he knows what he’s doing and tell them he can provide them with… supplements to their databases. That’d also allow him to get rid of the GUILT sample he still has on him. Maybe, you know, they can have a mutual arrangement. Yeah, that sounds nice.

 _Real_ nice.

There’s no doubt in his mind that the feds are going to be after him soon, and probably sooner than he’ll have expected them to, so he better get his shit together and _flee_ while he still can. Disappear into the night and reappear only when he’ll have been forgotten, under a new name, under a new gig. No more surgery. No more fooling around with that goddamn Healing Touch of his. Maybe he can have some plastic surgery and become an actor instead. He’s been told he was good at playing roles before.

(And his first practice will be in Caduceus, playing the remorseful man he doesn’t want to be as to gain a crumb of amnesty. At worst, he can always run away from there and start an underground one-man-show gig. He’s no stranger to that world).

Caduceus isn’t in Santa Balboa at all, so he better get into his car and get to where it is: Angeles Bay, California. If he travels quick enough, he should be there before his landlord notices he hasn’t been here for a couple days, leaving all of his bills unpaid in his wake. He only has clothing, beer, a computer and his old St Francis uniform to take with him anyway: his one big suitcase will be enough. He doesn’t need much and, the less proof he exists stays in this world, the better.

(He also takes his old lighter and some gasoline in a spare jerrican with him. He needs to get rid of his Delphi cloak and severe the last link he’s got to the bioterrorist world now struggling to fight back against the blinding lights of Caduceus).

He knows he won’t receive the last payment Delphi owed him, unless he considers Takanashi’s little blue abominations of a pathogen any sort of “wage”. You can’t really use it to buy yourself booze or a warm meal, but hey, it’s his one actual chance to get his life back to a certain standard of moral, so he can’t exactly discard it. Moreover, the damn things are still quirting around in their little plastic cage: if he just throws the box away without a care in the world, he won’t be much better than the people who purposefully spread the disease around.

He’s just done being the bad guy, he supposes. In a way, Delphi managed to convince him the worst way to a part of their fucked-up ideology: sometimes, killing someone off is better for them than to maintain them alive, especially if they’re kept in such a state for someone else’s sake. He’s done making people whose name he’ll never get told suffer for the sake of some outdated, extreme ideology. Done, done, done.

(He locks his flat’s door behind him, unceremoniously slaps the keys on the guardian’s table while the guy’s asleep and puts his luggage into his car parked in front of the building. This is the last time this parking will ever see it, as he speeds off into the distance moments later).

He’s paradoxically grateful for it. Delphi did save his ass when he needed it the most, when Japan decided he was too much of a heretic abomination for their medical board, gave him a salary and a good façade job while he took some shady missions on the side for them as repayment. Come to think of it, their relationship wasn’t exactly good since it was so unbalanced. They did make him dirty _his_ hands in _their_ name for _their_ ideology. It was about time he exited this one-sided _entente_ ; won’t you say?

(He stops in some dirt-hole of the countryside where nobody can see him and nothing is left to catch fire and burn, pours gasoline all over his black cloak, and puts fire to it, watching the thing burn while he eats some marshmallows grilled over the fire. He’ll be driving at night, as he should, so he can remain in the shadows until Caduceus decides his fate).

You know, maybe this turn of events isn’t too bad. He managed to set himself free from Delphi’s shackles without getting arrested in the process. If he wanted, he could dye his hair, fake a new name, go somewhere else. Maybe settle in Canada or Mexico under a new identity, find himself a guy or gal who wouldn’t be too curious about his past, or maybe just relish in being single, open a bar and enjoy a life of selling beverages on top of drinking them. Or he could even buy a ticket for the UK with the leftover money he has from St Francis and Delphi, never mention his shady history that’s unofficial anyway, and just find himself a new life there.

So many possibilities, and yet, as he watches the sun set and the black cloth turn into unrecognizable ashes, he’s choosing to amend for his crimes and sell himself to Caduceus. Maybe he does feel more awful than he tried convincing while he worked under Takanashi. Maybe all he wants is to feel like he’s done one thing right in his life and that, for once, he’ll be saving lives without selling his soul to the devil on the side.

Maybe he’ll be useful for the right cause, to the right people, from now on, and erase his past deeds’ consequences one operation at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays everyone! I know INA is a long-ass ride about nonsensical plot points and pacing issues (especially judging from my *terrible* kudos to view ratio lmao), but in case you're reading this in December 2020, the next and last Act will be up by the very end of the month. It'd be good to finally finish posting this fic for 2020 lmao.


	73. Prognosis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VII: Children of Asclepius - Chapter 1]  
> Tsumugi and Iori briefly come back to Japan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, last Act, so it's got to be final and best one! (i hope)  
> The chapters for it are shorter than I'd have liked, but hey, at least we're putting an end to this at long last, and all that before 2020! Thank Asclepius.  
> It was the Act I was the most hyped about for reasons TC:SO players know, since this is based on SO's vastly different (and superior) Chapter 6, "Dark Gospel", rather than a remake of UTK's Chapter 6. I hope y'all will enjoy the Act VII ride.

Travelling across the world may be tiring, but it doesn’t make for any less of an interesting experience. She’s always eager to meet new people and get to know them. Jetlag is the biggest drawback to the whole experience, and she won’t (and can’t) deny that it’s indeed a big issue at times. Perhaps eating your cereals at seven in the evening isn’t the ideal way to live your days in the UK or France, but what does she know?

The letters she’s regularly received from her patients over the past few months keep warming her heart and feeling her with enthusiasm. The ones she holds the dearest to her heart are the ones they’ve received from the seven children whom they saved from Delphi’s claws, who have all been recovering to their own speed, but are recovering surely, to her relief.

For once, Tsumugi and Iori have some time to see their Caduceus colleagues. As always, their first stop is to put the new files in her office. On their way there, they hear a quick conversation happening between their friends in the break room.

“This new medication is _amazing_! The patients have been responding very well!”

“Well, y’know me, I ain’t one to brag, but let’s just say I expect nothing less than perfection.”

“Gakkun, shouldn’t you give some credit to Mugi-chan’s pops since he, y’know, thought of it?”

“There’s a line between theory and creation. If you can’t distinguish the two, then I ain’t sure of why you’re even in Caduceus.”

“Alright, Yaotome, drop it,” Kaoru’s firm voice intervenes. “Takanashi thought of a method of treatment and you made it work. That’s it.”

“Whatever. _I_ still made it work.”

“Kinda sucks that we’ll be the only one to know that guy was ever involved…”

“We’re already fortunate enough he agreed to help us while paying his debt to society. The world needs Professor Takanashi’s research more than we imagine!”

They move ahead into the corridor, where they suddenly cross ways with the always friendly Dr Tsunashi, who’d probably frown at her calling him in such a formal manner.

“Welcome back, Tsumugi, Iori! Thank you very much for the souvenirs you sent us from Europe.”

“Oh, no problem!”

“The Belgian chocolates you sent us were delicious, even if Tamaki tried to eat them all by himself!” (Iori rolls his eyes with a snicker).

“Glad you guys liked it! We didn’t have much time to appreciate Brussels, though, since most of our time was spent in conferences and hospital visitations.”

“Ah, right, I almost forgot!” Ryuu suddenly interrupts the conversation’s flow. “Mitsuki wanted to see the both of you in his office asap.”

“Why would my brother need to talk to us in private?” Iori thinks out loud, a hand on his chin.

“Well, we can’t know unless we go there ourselves, right? Thank you for the info, Ryuu, we’ll now get going!”

When they get there, Mitsuki greets them to sit down, asks them how the trip has been, and if jetlag isn’t too bad. Honestly, she could complain about eating cereals at seven in the evening, but she’s more relieved to see her director back to his shining self. By his side is Banri, who seems to have gotten attached to this office. His smile suddenly drops and he takes on his serious persona once more as he announces them the true reason of why they were summoned in his office.

“A long-term assignment in the USA?!” Tsumugi yelps in response, repeating what she just got told as if she hadn’t heard correctly.

“Will I be going as well, big brother?”

“Yep. They asked for the both of you to come specifically. They’re in the final stages of some projects,” (by his tone, she can tell he isn’t on such good terms with their American counterparts), “and asked that our most skilled doctors participate. I kinda hesitated about their proposition, but considering they finally decided to ask for our help after months of silence, I asked Banri for his opinion and he agreed.”

“Caduceus USA will also be holding a conference there in about a month. We’d like you to join as well, and I’ll be joining you. Don’t worry, Tsumugi, Yuki can be trusted with Kibou in the meantime.” Well, she didn’t even have the time to ask about that! “Like Mitsuki said, the Americans have been quiet about their research ever since the raid. Now, all of a sudden, they want to ask for Caduceus Japan’s help with some project.”

“They must be really confident if they’re willing to break their silence like that, considering how unwilling they were to share any info about Delphi not that long ago. We’d like you two to keep us posted on their activities, considering I don’t think these guys can be trusted with much in the communication department.”

“Wait, so they’re sharing their data?” Iori asks to make sure. “I was under the belief that they just wanted skilled surgeons.”

“Well, yes and no. They made sure we understood none of their research was to be made public.”

“Miller ain’t a bad guy, but I’m not feeling too hot about all that secrecy. I can only guess the government’s got its nose in places it shouldn’t be in again and wants others involved as some sort of security measure.” Mitsuki sighs.

“It’s up to you two, now. Are you willing to accept, knowing that there’s more than meets the eye?”

“I understand the situation, but if they need our help, I’m willing to go.”

“We accept,” Iori adds after her.

“Good! We’ve made preparations for you to leave in five days. You’ll be on duty as usual until then!”

“Roger!”

“See you two in a month, then!” Banri tells them with a smile before they proceed to leave the room.


	74. International Healthcare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VII: Children of Asclepius - Chapter 2]  
> It's a strange mix of familiarity and foreign feelings.

They don’t catch a break until they reach their destination: they board a train, they board a plane, they board a bus. When they get to Caduceus USA, however, they truly know how different this new territory is: the building is slick, covered in glass and connected by all sorts of highways. Caduceus’s logo can be seen from miles away, way before they actually enter the parking, and even less before they actually set a foot inside.

Once they do, however, the interior matches the façade: the corridors are large and luminous, with spacious windows mixing daylight with artificial beams, yet threatening from how big they are compared to them while their footsteps echo in the empty space. The gigantic meeting room in which they’re walked to by the troops who came to greet them only makes he feel more out of place until a familiar face shows up, discreetly smiling.

“Thank you for coming all this way,” Director Miller himself greets them as he walks up to their position. She doesn’t quite dare do the opposite. “I’m sure you’re both quite tired.”

“I-it was a difficult mission, but I’m glad everything turned out for the best. It’s an honour to be invited here.”

She almost bows, but he instead reminds her to shake his hand, which she promptly does. He then turns in Iori’s direction.

“Mr Izumi, please let us know if there is anything we can do to make your stay easier. After all, I’m sure Dr Takanashi owes much of her success to having you by her side.”

“Thank you, Director…” He replies with some red creeping on his cheeks. This bashful side of his which appears more and more often must be her favourite. “I’m positive Dr Takanashi and I will both learn quite a bit during our stay.”

It’s at this moment that a man she’s never seen walks into the room: a small, brown-haired man whose hair have most likely seen better days. He looks… suspicious for lack of a better term, with a weasel-like face silently sneering at her and a deep-set frown. Oh well: appearances aren’t everything, after all, so she shouldn’t let her first impressions get the best of her professionalism.

“Allow me to introduce you both to Dr Owen, our research executive,” Director Miller then says, as if trying to convince Iori and her not to be so uneasy around him. “He will be supervising all the research you take part in while you’re with us here.”

Oh no, that doesn’t sound too good. Still, Tsumugi, try not to let your impressions get to you…

“It’s an honour to meet the both of you, Dr Takanashi, Nurse Izumi…” His tone sounds wrong, his red eyes look at her like she’s a prey, and her skin starts to crawl. “Your work on our project will be quite pivotal, I’m certain.”

“N-nice to meet you…!”

She’s afraid her nervous chuckle will upset either American party, but it’d seem like Director Miller opts to ignore it altogether. Instead, he picks up from where he left off.

“Dr Owen was actually the first person to recommend your involvement. He believed that only doctors of your talent would be able to complete these final stages.”

“You might think I’m being selfish, but this truly is something only the two of you can handle.”

“Hopefully we won’t embarrass ourselves too badly, then! We’ll give it all our might, sir.”

Okay, that sounds a hundred times more convincing already, good job Tsumugi!

“Well then, if you’ll follow me, I can fill you in on the details of our research. Moreover, there is someone I wish for you to meet.”

“Oh? What kind of person?”

“You’ll see when we get there, Dr Takanashi.”

As they march towards their next destination, there is one major thing that goes through her mind: Mitsuki and Banri’s suspicions were more than founded. There’s just this… general atmosphere of dishonesty and secrecy around her that bothers her to no end, like the sort of feeling she’d get when her father refused to tell her what he was working on or why he was so busy, so distant all the time.

It’d seem Iori agrees on this sentiment, as he silently looks at her with all the doubt of the world in his eyes. At least, she isn’t alone, since she has her most trusted ally right by her side for the entire length of the mission: thank goodness Iori’s presence was requested because, otherwise, she’d feel even more nervous. Of course, it’s still far less nerve-wracking than when they were raiding Delphi, but she also can’t say she’s feeling any easy in this situation, quite the opposite actually.

It’ll be up to them to unravel this thread of mysteries, she supposes. After all, isn’t this one of the reasons they’re here to begin with?


	75. Alternate Perspective(s)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VII: Children of Asclepius - Chapter 3]  
> Tsumugi makes a peculiar encounter.

The laboratories are emitting a strange aura, blue and medical, futuristic even. There are test tubes everywhere, filled with substances whose identity she has no idea about. There’s no wonder as to why they were asked to keep all of this confidential, requiring them to disinfect their bodies and their minds. In fact, the atmosphere is so poignant that she’s forgotten to pay attention to what Dr Owen was saying.

Welp, she better tune back in, in case he asks her about what she thinks of it. Iori must have listened to some of what she’s missed, at least, so she could ask him for his opinion if it ever gets to that.

“…the results of our “regenerative treatments” have been far beyond expectation. If I might be so bold, I’d say we’re about to turn medical science on its head. As you can see, we transplant these neo-cells in hopes they regenerate the lost tissue. What’s surprising is how quickly it occurs and the low rate of autoimmune difficulties.”

“This is only possible because of our advanced facilities and brilliant researchers. If we were as limited as the other branches of Caduceus, I doubt our research would have advanced even half as quickly.”

She feels the need to be insulted on behalf of Caduceus Japan, but Iori’s displeased expression is more than enough to convey her sentiment.

“I’m impressed!” She instead goes for praising, because truth be told, it is impressive and it’d be a mistake not to acknowledge it despite the stab taken at the branch she comes from. “I’d have never even thought Caduceus USA would be working on something like this! But, if you don’t mind me asking… What does any of this have to do with GUILT research?”

“Most of the theories we’ve put into practice are based on what we learnt fighting GUILT. I’m afraid I can’t say more than that, as we’re saving the final details for the conference.”

“You say you’ve already treated hundreds of patients with regenerative technology?” Iori then asks, showing he was more attentive than her.

“We’ll be visiting these patients tomorrow. It’ll be easier to understand if you can see their recoveries for yourself…”

Director Miller turns his head towards someone walking by. She has, however, very little idea as to who this could possibly be: all she can see from her position are short moss green hair and a lab coat which has definitely seen better days.

“Ah, Dr Nikaido, here you are! Have you finished your rounds for today?”

When he gets near them, she has the vague feeling of having seen this man somewhere before (where or when, she has no idea)

“Yep, Director. I s’ppose these two are our Japanese doctors?”

“Your timing could not be any better. Allow me to introduce you.”

There is a slight pause before the good old introduction phase starts.

“Dr Takanashi, this is Dr Yamato Nikaido. He’s been working with us for some time. Like you, he specializes in miracle surgeries.”

“Nice to meetcha. _Anata ga yuumei na Takanashi-sensei ne._ ”

Wait a second! Did she hear that right…?

“I-it’s nice to meet you! B-but, Dr Nikaido, you… You can speak Japanese?!”

He chuckles at her

“Well, duh? I thought it was written all over my face.”

Iori is about to say something back, but he gets interrupted by Director Miller before he can do so.

“He actually hails from Japan, originally. That, however, is not the point. He’s been supporting our research in a number of ways with his unique talents. In a perfect world, he’d be able to work in your place, however… there’s been a problem.”

“A problem?”

The tone of the conversation quickly loses its joviality.

“There have been isolated reports of GUILT throughout Europe, even after Delphi’s defeat. Unfortunately, we have no idea what could be causing them. There has been speculation that these outbreaks are occurring naturally, but splinters of Delphi are far more likely. The FBI has been investigating as well.”

Director Miller marks the pause before resuming, letting the weight of his words impact the ambiance. She had no idea that was why Iori and she had been summoned to the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

“Dr Nikaido has his hands full with treating the GUILT victims as they’re brought in. This is why we cannot have him working on research full-time.”

“We may also need you to occasionally assist him, Dr Takanashi. I hope that you understand.”

“Of course. I’d be glad to help!”

“I didn’t realize that there were still GUILT outbreaks,” Iori comments, mirroring her thoughts as he more often than not does.

“It’d appear Delphi’s power runs deeper than anyone thought possible,” Dr Nikaido states, grim and firm.

This confident, yet slightly sullen tone… He sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. He actually sounds like he’s got a very solid idea of what this is referring to, as if he knows the solution to it and how exactly deep Delphi’s roots are.

Despite the sudden turns of events, Dr Nikaido immediately perks up right away as they shake hands.

“Anyway! Welcome to the States. Don’t worry, it gets easier the longer you stay here, though I can’t guarantee that you’ll appreciate the food here. I hope you like fried stuff. I actually know a cool burger joint not too far away from Caduceus. Wanna come tonight?”

“Huh…?” That’s one heck of a surprising invitation! “If Iori can come, why not!”

“Of course he’s allowed to join!” He says as he eyes her assistant, with whom he then shakes hands. “Call me Yamato.”

“We’ll be in your trust!”

Well then… They’re in for a wild ride, aren’t they?


	76. Surgical Knowledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VII: Children of Asclepius - Chapter 4]  
> It's showtime for the Caduceus Japan crew.

New day, new assignments. After spending a nice evening with Yamato (she’ll just do her best to forget the… _weirdest_ aspects of said evening), Tsumugi and Iori are back in Caduceus USA’s headquarters (where they also sleep: they got assigned a flat each in the private residence next to it).

Today, they’ve reunited in the reunion room. Apparently, they’re all here to either do or watch a surgery. Her first surgery in the United States for Caduceus USA, to be exact. She’s still a little antsy about it, but reminding herself that Iori and she have gone through worse makes her relax in some way. She shouldn’t be this stressed out!

“…Thirty-two hours have passed since the patient was infected. Her vitals are relatively stable, but we have no idea how long that will last. The Chiral reaction indicates Tetarti, and we know it’s in his liver. However, the tests…” Owen gets pensive, which makes his aura feel even more threatening. “Exercise every precaution. This strain seems unusually contagious.”

“I’ve updated her chart,” Iori states as he shows them the papers in question. “We have a lot of experience treating GUILT and will proceed as normal.”

“If you require any additional tools, don’t hesitate to let me know. I believe you’ll find our facilities to be state of art. I’m expecting a flawless performance!”

Ah, Director Miller and his bragging tendencies…

“We’ll do our best,” is all she replies to his enthusiasm.

“I’m gonna observe that one from the monitorin’ station. Lookin’ forward to seeing ya Healing Touch, Tsum-Tsum!”

“Tsum… Tsum…?”

They proceed to enter the pre-operation conference room with Iori looking displeased and her feeling confused over the birth of that new nickname. Time to stop thinking about it, however: now is the time to get focused on the matter at hand. For once, she’s the one who gets the opening words.

“Caduceus USA’s tests were correct. This is definitely Tetarti, although the symptoms are unusual.”

Stains on the patient’s skin are nothing new, but constant vomiting really isn’t, and so are diabetes-like symptoms.

“Let’s treat it normally, then, but be prepared in case anything unexpected happens. You can handle this, Doctor. I believe in you, as always.”

“Yeah, you’re right…!”

His voice softens and so does his gaze as their eyes cross.

“Are you feeling all right, Tsumugi?”

“Oh, sure, I’m all good! I’m just a little anxious, you know?”

He gives her a smile. Man, when they aren’t dressed in scrubs or forced to pretend like they’re just a surgeon and her assistant, she can only observe how much she loves being with him. He’s such an understanding soul.

“With you, there’s nothing to worry about. In any case, I’ll keep you posted on anything unusual on my side. You just focus on the procedure. The only problem we can anticipate with Tetarti are changes in its synchronicity.”

“Once we observe its movement pattern, that shouldn’t be too much of an issue.”

“This is true. Let’s hope we don’t have to worry about anything but exterminating the Tetarti cells. I’m ready when you are.”

She finishes putting on her scrubs and mask.

“Okay, let’s begin the operation.”

At first, there is nothing out of the ordinary. The infection is located in the patient’s liver, as most Tetarti cases do (the Tetarti cells feed on bile, she’s been told). On the surface of the organ are three diverticula telling her all three kinds of Tetarti cells are present (as they usually are). Of course, all she has to do is ask Iori for the three Tetarti serums, three syringes, and she begins removing the sacs. Once that’s done and all leftover holes have been sealed, they continue to the next step.

“Chiral reaction is rising… We have visuals on Tetarti.”

The first wave is nothing out of the ordinary GUILT-wise. The three cells first show which subspecies they belong to before the colour fades out, but it’s no match for her: she’s so used to this procedure that all she has to do is to follow her instincts and inject the correct serum in each of the three. However, this is where business as usual ends.

The second wave pops up from the organ’s surface, prompting Iori to express out loud what she gasps too much to put into spoken words.

“What the…?! I can’t tell which Tetarti is which!”

He’s right: they’re all white. For a moment, she wonders if they’re not going to have to brute-force their way through this procedure. To their luck, however, they all produce a thick, coloured gas that may as well serve the same purpose as remembering colours. She puts her theory into action as soon as the gas appears and, sure enough, it works like a charm.

“Tetarti’s never reacted that way before,” Iori comments before rising his eyes. She sighs. “Doctor? Are you all right?”

“Y-yeah. It just surprised me, that’s all.”

“We should continue, then…”

Their little break ends as soon as it starts.

“The Chiral reaction is increasing again! Here it comes!”

She repeats the process, getting more confident about which vapour trail belongs to which cell. Each wave after this one is the same, except the cells keep getting faster, to the point she hesitates on using the Touch. She however refrains from doing so in the end, managing to finish the fourth and fifth wave without too much damage. She did inject some serum into the liver directly, at times, but it should be neutralized by the leftover GUILT toxins Tetarti has had the time to fester, she figures… The strain may have worried her assistant, however.

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright, Tsumugi?”

“What? Yeah, of course… I’m fine,” she barely replies as she focuses for the last wave.

A few more injections later and the operation is over. No more Tetarti cells show up under their noses.

“We have a negative Chiral reaction. Good work, Doctor.”

She injects some stabilizer into the liver by concern for the serum which accidentally made its way in there, then sutures the incision shut and applies the usual gel and bandage. She, once again, sighs; this time in relief.

“The patient’s sudden infection may have been caused by those toxic excretions. We’ll have to look further into it once the patient is awake.” Iori pauses. “Operation complete.”

When they exit the changing room, she can once again feel Iori’s hand in hers as a reassurance. They do let go once they see Director Miller and Yamato (…and Owen) walk up to them, just so they aren’t accused of being something they just aren’t.

“This was spectacular work, Dr Takanashi! Your reputation is not exaggerated in the slightest.”

“Thank you very much for your praise, Director.”

“Don’t be modest, Tsum-Tsum. You’ve really got somethin’ with surgery, y’know that?”

God, her head is spinning, she may faint soon if they continue praising her like that…

“Now, I believe Dr Takanashi should get some rest before we continue research,” Iori says in the middle of the conversation. “I have taken notes on what we’ve seen during this procedure. Moreover, I believe we could all beneficiate from watching back the footage filmed for the procedure.”

“Ichi’s right.” _Ichi_? That sure is new. (She kind of likes it, though). “Let’s all take a breather, eat lunch, and come back.”

The wink he gives her tells her everything about his intentions.

“Dr Nikaido is right. Let’s meet each other later. I’m certain operating on such a mutation must have tired our good doctor.”

Please tell her she can sigh of relief again.

In all cases, they disband, leaving her with some room to breathe. She’ll probably go back to her room for the early parts of the afternoon, maybe go out and eat something with Iori and Yamato once again, but mostly, recover from the surprise that procedure was.

In all honesty, despite how many GUILT surgeries she’s made, she’s now afraid of fighting an even bigger demon than she has so far. Being in unfamiliar territories adds onto the dread that’s been settling in ever since they first arrived in Caduceus USA.

It must just be her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait. Something's not right with this.


	77. Medical Research

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VII: Children of Asclepius - Chapter 5]  
> Miller is acting suspicious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 6-5 is legendarily uninteresting, for an episode with such a bomb to be dropped; thus why this chapter is so goddamn short lmao

She’s playing her favourite puzzle game on her phone when there’s a knock on the door.

“Yes?”

Enters Director Miller, who politely closes the door behind him and stays standing near it.

“I hope you’ve been able to adapt to America just fine, Dr Takanashi.”

“It’s been a little weird, but so far, I’ve been doing fine. Did you need anything, Director Miller?”

“There was just something I needed to tell you.”

The sudden drop of his tone immediately peaks her curiosity.

“And what would that be?”

“Would you mind coming with me? It’s something I must show you; I’m afraid my words won’t be enough.”

This marks her second time in the underground laboratories in two days. At least, she’s been able to rest a little if they need her assistance later this afternoon. She mindlessly follows, in silence, through the numerous corridors and experiment workstations, until they both stop in front of a giant glass tube. She almost smashes into the director because of how sudden the stop was.

“Here it is,” he then declares. “You’re looking at our big secret.”

He steps aside, prompting her to nearly lose her voice.

“This is…!”

Her eyes can’t be mistaking her. In this glass tube is indeed _Adam_. Even simply seeing him again is enough to almost send her into a panic.

“The source of GUILT’s evil is sleeping right there, in that capsule. He no longer breathes, and blood has ceased to float in his veins.”

“…he’s dead.” In other words, they’re staring at a corpse with mummified skin.

“Well, he isn’t alive per say so, technically, yes. We’re preserving him at very low temperatures. Don’t worry, he can’t be revived. The strange thing is, his body shows no sign of putrefaction. We’ve been researching GUILT and Adam since the raid on Delphi’s ocean fortress. Those studies were the basis of the regenerative treatments we’ll show you later. We felt the risk was justified if it meant saving lives, but there are times I wonder… are we continuing down Delphi’s path?”

Most of his speech flies past her from the conflicting cocktail of emotions swirling inside her veins. Fear, anger, frustration – all negative moods to combine, yet festering inside her brain from this vision.

“…why did you show this to me?”

“I’m not exactly sure, if I’m honest. I just felt you had the right to know.”

Her emotions get the best of her, for the first time since her Hope Hospital days.

“How did you expect me to feel?! All the work we’ve done, and now this!”

“If it motivated you in the fight against GUILT, then I wouldn’t regret a thing. The neo-cells our treatment is based on came directly from Adam’s body. His bodily fluids are being used in a unique new serum we’re developing. We risked our lives on that ship, battling the evils Delphi had unleashed, but we also found a great treasure onboard. We’ve earned that bounty. I’ll be going into further details during the upcoming conference. I’d like to hear your opinions on the subject then, since you’re such a valuable figure in the field of medicine.

She remains silent.

“Now, why don’t we go back to your room? Your assistant must be waiting for you there.”


	78. Spontaneous Relapse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VII: Children of Asclepius - Chapter 6]  
> The grand medical conference turns sour.

The room is full of people Tsumugi doesn’t know and has never seen before. She may have heard their names before – or, most likely, read them in some papers – but none of them are exactly familiar to her. Well, aside from the Caduceus USA representatives she’s gotten to know over the last days, Iori and Banri, she doesn’t know anyone. Even if she should’ve expected it, she still feels lonely, even with her assistant sitting right next to her.

That’s, of course, not to mention she has troubles listening to Owen without finding him creepy or, at least, striking her with negative emotions. She should shrug it off and tune into the conference once more.

“…patients who lost organ, bone, and muscles cells… Near complete recoveries were reported in every one of these cases. I hope this demonstrates the effectiveness of the neo-cells, or Z-cells, as we call them. However, I’d like to convince you further by bringing up one of our Z-cells patients.”

As he finishes speaking, a blond man muscular man gets on stage.

“Thank you again, Mr Heigl, for your willingness to take part in this demonstration. There will be a short break as we set up for the next segment of the conference.”

Banri doesn’t seem impressed at all. From where she is, she can also hear his conversation with Director Miller.

“It seems like the USA have put some thought into it, hmm?”

“I understand your sarcasm. However, I went to a lot of trouble convincing the military to even let us show this. If we continued to conceal research, we would have lost our international support.”

“Regardless of my opinion, the results are impressive. Perhaps Japan could do its research using similar methods, if only to keep an eye on them.”

“Our country was generous enough to supply funding for our research, since they found it useful. On the other hand, it was given on the grounds that we’d be treating wounded soldiers.”

“ _Soldiers_?” Banri sounds surprised, if not enticed. “What happens to them once the treatment is finished?”

“They can’t return to duty, so I assume they become civilians.”

“So you’re telling me your treatment isn’t effective enough to bring these soldiers back to their previous condition? That’s quite far away from the miracle Dr Owen was selling us up until now.”

Miller remains silent.

The conference reprising prevents the conversation from continuing.

“We’re ready to begin, if you’ll kindly return to your seats. I would like you to take a look at the screens.” As soon as Owen says so, gruesome pictures of not-so-unfamiliar examples show all around the room -too be fair, if she hadn’t seen GUILT before, she’d have felt queasy). “This was Mr Heigl’s condition before he arrived for treatment. As you can see, his abdomen was severely damaged by a bullet wound. Dialysis was the only thing that was keeping him alive. But, once we implemented the Z-cells… Come out, Mr Heigl.”

The blond man steps on stage once more, shirtless.

“You can see he’s doing quite a bit better now. Although he still has scars from several surgeries, internally, he’s fully recovered! If we pull a diagnostic image of his body’s interior,” in the press of a telecommand, the illustration appears, “you can clearly see that it’s been restored to its natural condition, pre-injury. Follow-up treatment is simple and unintrusive: we simply administer a serum semi-annually. This aids in in the formation of tissue and helps to stabilize it. If Mr Heigl will excuse me, I can demonstrate this treatment as well.”

Owen gets on stage and, indeed, proceeds to administer said serum into the patient’s system through a syringe. The results are immediate and, to be honest, leave her a little speechless.

“His tissue completely regenerated! That’s amazing!”

Yamato isn’t impressed at all.

“Even though, for all intents and purposes, it’s just the eighth GUILT?”

“I assume you’re against it, then, Dr Nikaido?” Iori then asks.

“Weeeeell… I got told there was no way to control that monster, and that came from someone who studied it for years. Apparently, even its creator was afraid of GUILT. I don’t care how much research they’ve done with these Z-cells. If GUILT is involved, it’s going to backfire. I just hope I ain’t there when that happens.”

Something sounds… off about his voice, his tone, his words; yet she can sense something akin to experience in his reply to Iori. He knows what he’s speaking about, but he’s clearly hiding something.

However, before she can think about it for any longer, the misfortune Yamato was describing moments ago happens right before their eyes.

“Huh…?! Mr Heigl!”

Owen’s panicked voice immediately drags her attention to the man next to her, who is folded in half, clutching his chest. The picture is familiar…

“What’s… I don’t…” The man erupts in a furious coughing fit. “Ugh… Argg **ghg _ghhhhh_** —”

And then, blood splatters on the ground, all around the stage, and people panic.

“What’s going on?!” Tsumugi asks almost as a reflex.

“It’s GUILT,” Yamato replies without hesitation nor fear in his demeanour. “The strain must be airborne. It’s being released from his blood!”

“Help me!” The man screams in agony. “Something’s wrong! What is that?!”

“No, this can’t be happening! Not in front of all these people!” Miller screams back, in horror.

“We have to evacuate the attendees before everyone is infected!” Banri yells as he runs towards them. “But how can we…”

“Seems a lil’ rude to say, but I did told ya that’d happen.” Yamato turns to her. “Think you can handle it, Tsumu?”

“I’ll do my best! What about you?”

“Well, someone’s gotta make sure the infection doesn’t spread any further. I’m gonna assist Ogami. Looks like you’re gonna have to get ready soon.”

“Sure thing. Iori, will you be alright with assisting me?”

“I’ll be fine. We need to move the infected attendees to an operating area, stat!”

Far away, and right as they start running towards the nearest OR, she hears the whaling of Miller and the stern, jarring silence of Owen.

They both all but crash into their scrubs, then into their pre-operation briefing. They don’t get much time to idle, so they keep it brief.

“What’s going on here?” Iori comments with urgency in his voice. “GUILT shouldn’t be able to present this quickly!”

“Let’s stay calm,” she says more to her than to him. “We need to focus on treating the patient.”

“You’re right. This one is going to take serious concentration.” He pulls something up on a computer, whose screen he then shows her. “Here are the test results. They were expedited, so the notes aren’t complete.”

“It really is GUILT, then, huh?”

“I’m afraid so. To be precise, it’s in his right lung. By the look of these Chiral reactions, it’d seem to be the Pempti strain, so our objective is to destroy its core. Once that’s gone, the fluid should go away naturally, as always.”

“Alright then! Let’s begin the emergency operation!”

The procedure itself is tense, as expected coming from Pempti, one of the toughest GUILT stains after Savato. However, their focus is laser-tight, prompting them to remain silent for most of it as she lasers every cell away. Gaku has improved the Pempti laser even further since Mitsuki and the Fifth Child’s surgery, which makes the procedure quick and steady.

It comes as a bit of a shock when they manage to exterminate Pempti just fine, to the point she barely realizes it’s over already when she closes off the patient. Well, they don’t have much time, so it’s better this way.

“Well job, Dr Takanashi. This patient should be just fine… But there are still people who need our help. Let’s hurry.”

She nods and off they go back to the conference room, silent. 


	79. Urgent Surgery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VII: Children of Asclepius - Chapter 7]  
> Tsumugi, Yamato, and a GUILT outbreak in the midst of Caduceus's chest.

The somewhat familiar Lieutenant Hughes bursts into the conference room.

“Sir, we have an update on the situation!” He salutes, then gets to the point. “Dr Ashton has been confirmed infected. Mr Alex Yang is also infected. Professor Ritz has been infected. We’ve confirmed Dr Maffouse as well. There are twenty-two others who are confirmed to be infected, seven of whom show full Chiral reactions.”

“This is a _disaster_! GUILT is going to destroy modern medicine in one fell swoop!”

“Panicking isn’t going to save these people, Lewis,” Banri states with an inhumane calm. “We’re going to stop this if at all possible. I’ll be helping with operations.”

“Thank you, Banri.” Miller then addresses the three other people in the room. “Dr Takanashi, Dr Nikaido, I need you to operate on the four patients the Lieutenant just mentioned.”

“Understood!”

“We need to get started then.”

“I understand this is a dire situation, but I sincerely appreciate your help.” It’s back to the Lieutenant. “Where is Dr Owen?”

Lieutenant Hughes repeats the question into the headphone he has in one ear, waits for an answer, then replies to his superior.

“Sir! There has been no sign of Dr Owen in the last thirty minutes!

“ _What_?! Unacceptable!” Miller yelps clearly infuriated by this revelation. “He can’t be abandoning his duties like that, especially at a time like this!”

“And how does that affect the situation?” Banri asks as he checks all of the tools he’s taken with him.

“We extracted samples from Adam in order to create a serum to combat GUILT. Dr Owen is the only person who has access to them.”

Something inside Tsumugi’s stomach gets heavier at the mere idea of pulling such a gambit. Not to mention this plan of action from their American comrades sounds like a major security flaw.

“Mind if I try to get more?” Banri asks back.

“Hmm… You might be able to. This is the only guaranteed cure, but you know there are certain risks when handling GUILT. I’ll explain the procedure, but you must be careful at all times. Please follow me, Dr Ogami.” Miller then turns in their direction, hands them a tablet, and quickly handwaves them. “We’ll send the serum as soon as we can, Dr Takanashi! Do your best until then!”

He then proceeds to run away from the room with Banri following behind him, leaving the three of them alone in the room. That’s when Iori takes control over the situation instead, his voice uncracking and his nerves under full control. It’s been quite a while since he last did so, actually…

“Dr Takanashi, Dr Nikaido, I have a plan. You will both alternate treating the patients Lieutenant Hughes named earlier. In other words, you’ll each perform two procedures. The patients are being brought in as we speak.”

“Let’s go the operation room, then! There’s no time to waste!”

As soon as she finishes speaking, Tsumugi and the two men with her do just as she said and quickly prepare for surgery again. There’s no rest for the skilled and the healthy today! They, of course, can’t take any break, so the pre-operation conference will be kept very short.

“There are a total of four patients who require immediate treatment,” Iori states as he looks over the tablet, before looking up to cross the gazes of both surgeons instead. “Please adjust your routine accordingly, Dr Nikaido. Once Dr Takanashi closes her patient up, we’ll move onto yours immediately.”

“Gotcha.”

“Take time between operations to calm down and focus on the task at hand.”

“This reminds me a bit of the time where we had ten minutes to treat ten Kyriaki patients, right, Iori?”

“This time, there are only four, and we have two surgeons instead of two nurses, so I’ll try to be optimistic.” Despite his unimpressed tone, she can still see the endeared smirk on his lips, which he loses as soon as he glances over the tablet again. “However, judging by this GUILT data and patient information, this is an entirely different situation from before.”

“That means we ain’t gonna have the time to slack off, huh?”

“Indeed. We’re running out of time.” He takes a deep breath. “Dr Nikaido, Tsumugi… We must save these people.”

“We won’t let them die!” She picks back up. “Starting the operation!”

Tsumugi starts on the long procedure with the first patient, who got infected with Triti. Like the other times she’s had to remove devilish triangles and thorns, however, Iori is here to guide her with his reasoning. He quickly deciphers this strain’s tricky puzzle, then carefully transcribes the process into simple steps she can follow on in mere seconds, always handing her the tray where she can safely put the torn membranes.

Triti doesn’t scare her anymore. Despite the rush, she doesn’t panic, doesn’t let herself be afraid of failure – she only pulls away thorns and draining toxic gas. Even the difficult devils of the past can’t come back to her. She may not understand the thing and may be relying on who may as well be her second half, but she’s stopped minding: the most important is the patient’s condition and recovery, not her pride.

Once she’s done, Iori goes to assist Yamato while she takes a breather. They’re operating on Kyriaki, which her colleague has no troubles with whatsoever, as if he knows about the thing’s inner workings and, as such, can predict what it’s going to do and act accordingly. Despute the laidback attitude he’s displayed for most of her time in America, he’s an extraordinarily sharp surgeon with tremendous skills and cold blood in the OR, although she shouldn’t be this surprised: he’s working for Caduceus USA, after all, so he’s bound to be skilful and effective.

In fact, Yamato doesn’t seem like he even needs Iori’s assistance: he grabs his tools himself and doesn’t let the nurse the time to comment on _anything_ or give suggestions, leaving Iori a little stunned on the sideways. As such, in a minute or so, the patient is all cured. Yamato doesn’t comment much on it, even when she’s still speechless from how easily he handled the entire ordeal.

Someone knocks at the door right as Yamato finishes with his patient. When she opens the door, she receives from a scrub-wearing soldier the precious vial of serum Miller has promised them. They don’t have much use for it at the moment, but it’s always appreciated to have it just in case something goes south. Asking about the serum also allows Iori to take a quick but deserved pause from monitoring over procedures on his own while also serving as an assistant.

Man, they all deserve a break, don’t they? Well, they sure do, but there are more urgent matters at hand, and she knows it. For now, she puts the serum in a safe spot in the OR, right next to the other serums they use for GUILT procedures.

It’s now back to her, so she motivates herself back up. Iori wheels in the third patient, which is a Deftera infection on the stomach. Fortunately for the patient and them, it hasn’t had the time to reproduce in any other area, so they only need to focus on one organ. However, as soon as they examine the actual scene, it’s much worse: blood has already had the time to pool all over the stomach, forcing her to first drain everything, then laser the few tumours already forming to lure Deftera out of hiding.

In fact, blood is a recurring theme here. The four cells leave bleeding tissues in their tracks when they don’t fight each other, so she regularly has Iori handle the drain and stabilizer while she focuses on Deftera itself. The procedure is tense, even tenser than usual due to time running out, but they manage to defeat it in a timely manner after she clenched her teeth so hard they could’ve fallen. Time to enjoy some relief now that the bandage has been put on.

The last procedure is the worst of them all, as it’s the only unexpected one: Paraskevi on the heart. The worm has made its way whole to the patient’s chest, which doesn’t amuse Yamato at all judging by the click of the tongue he made as soon as he read the Chiral test’s results. Despite the few insults he throws under his breath and behind his surgical mask, he nonetheless picks the scalpel and gel up and starts the procedure properly.

Tsumugi can’t help but stay on standby in case a bit of Paraskevi burrows into the heart, but it turns out there’s no need to: Yamato activates what must be another sort of Healing Touch, judging by the familiar light in his eyes and the miraculous healing the tissues undergo as soon as he touches them with a tool. She had no idea such abilities existed, this is so cool! It also allows him to take care of Paraskevi and the numerous lacerations cutting it into halves and quarters create without worrying about the vitals or blood loss much. Man, what an impressive surgeon…

Despite the hiccups and the extreme conditions, Yamato finishes the last procedure with a triumphant bandage.

“That was… amazing,” Iori comments in a shaky breath. He must be mentally exhausted from all that focus. “We even somehow finished with time to spare. Let’s get the patient out of surgery.”

“That’s the last one, right?” Yamato asks as they all get out of the room, the gurney rolling before them.

“Yeah. We have confirmation of that,” a quick glance at the tablet tells the nurse.

“Good. Glad we were somehow able to treat all four of them. That’s a relief and a half despite the fatigue.”

Yamato’s earnest chuckle prompts her to giggle in agreement.

“Yes, but we can relax now. At least, for the moment,” Yamato gives him a bit of a stink eye. “You both did an amazing job.”

They had back to the conference room now that their operation job is done, leaving the patients to the now free Caduceus USA crew, content in staying silent if it means resting. After all, they all need a break to recover their energy, especially if Delphi is once again involved.

But who knows? Maybe this was their final procedure. Maybe this is already all over and they just don’t know it yet. Doesn’t it sound like a real possibility?

(Why does it sound like it’s too good to be true?)

When Tsumugi and the guys get to the conference room, there are camouflage-dressed people entering the room, almost making them tumble. _He’s in here! Stop him!_ , one of them screams into a walkie-talkie, prompting so many other people to come in.

When the income of people calms down, they get a glance of why such commotion just took place: is handcuffed by soldiers a crazed Owen, whose eyes frantically look around the room, giving death stares to everyone involved, including the three members of medical staff watching from far away.

They then watch Director Miller enter the room and salute Lieutenant Hughes, who proceeds to give context to all of the confusion brewing in her fatigued mind.

“Dr Owen has been taken into military custody,” he explains. “We found him in the underground parking structure attempting to escape. He then ran all the way up there, where we just caught him.”

“You should have accepted death,” he growls back, foaming at the mouth.

“Why were you trying to run, Owen?” Miller asks back, ignoring the entire proposition altogether.

“ _Unlike_ the rest of you _fools_ , I _know_ the _future_ of _medicine_ will _not_ be a _happy_ one. Who provided for me when I had nothing?! _Who_ made me a medical researcher?! It wasn’t your shitty government! _No_! The man who _created_ me, gave me _everything_ I _ever_ had, it was the one _you_ keep _asleep_ in _your_ prison!” 

Yamato cringes. If her suspicions are correct, it may be because it’s hitting home…

“Then, you’re one of Delphi…” Miller comments, horrified. It must hurt to realize just how wrong you were all along.

“Struggle against fate all you want! With an army of seven billions, mankind can only defeat itself!!”

Silence settles like dust in a deserted room, only for Miller to break it into pieces. For someone who sounded so defeated moments ago, he sure has gotten confidence back quickly. Maybe it’s for the sake of Caduceus, to show they’re stronger than a single man’s mistakes.

“Would you shut up, Owen? After what you did in there, you expect us to listen to this nonsense? Humanity will continue to thrive well into the future. We’re making that possible.” He turns back to Lt Hughes. “Strip him of his rank and take him away!”

To their surprise, that’s when another soldier enters the room, clearly in a hurry judging by his hoarse voice and red cheeks. He quickly salutes, then cuts to the chase.

“Sir! There seems to have been an incident in the laboratory…!”

“The laboratory?!”

Wait, isn’t that where…?

“Adam’s chamber, sir!”

Oh, that’s where there’s…

“Oh no, _Banri_!”

In unison, they all start running to the laboratory, no question asked, dropping everything and leaving Owen in the hands of the American military.


	80. Final Procedure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VII: Children of Asclepius - Chapter 8]  
> Tsumugi has another rendezvous with death itself.

The laboratory is pretty much the same as it was last time, with Adam’s corpse looming over them like the malevolent spirit it is. Near it is a kneeling Banri, to whom she rushes without a second thought, prompting her assistant to let go of her. He’s clutching his throat in one hand and his chest with the other, as if his tie was strangling him. His skin tone is much too pale.

“Hang in there, Banri!” She screams as she kneels down to him.

The pained smile he tries giving her breaks her heart into countless shards. She puts aside as much of it as possible and starts, with the upmost care, examining him, including using Caduceus USA’s advanced technology to make a Chiral test on the go.

“ _Shit_ , that GUILT’s gonna be a pain in the ass,” Yamato rants as he walks to them, looking over the results on the same tablet Iori had in his hands for a while. “That fucker can genetically mutate whenever it feels like it. At least, that’s according to the data we’ve been given. If we’re lucky, it might just be even worse!”

“Are… the profs safe…?” Banri grumbles, his voice rasping, occasionally cut by violent coughing.

“Yes, thanks to Dr Takanashi and Dr Nikaido”, Miller replies in a solemn tone. “No matter how many lives you save, it’s impossible to save your own…”

“Please don’t strain yourself, Dr Ogami”, Iori adds.

Banri then grabs her shoulders and tries looking into her eyes with his half-shut by the pain. Tears are pooling in his eyes, yet he remains stoic and strong, almost confident, and she can’t help but be admirative of his inhumane resolve. For the first time since they arrived in America, he speaks to her in Japanese.

“Listen to me, Tsumugi! These may just be my last words.” She feels like she needs to add something, but it’d only put more strain on him. “No doctor can operate on himself. That’s our fatal flaw. Ut’s a test… when you’re dying.” A coughing fit tears through his throat. “I have to depend on the ones I trained… On you, Tsumugi. It’s the only way to know…” He coughs again. “…was I a good doctor?”

She’s so stunned by the implications of this that she goes entirely speechless. Luckily, her assistant comes to her raid now that she’s in need.

“You’re a good man, Dr Ogami, and an excellent surgeon. You passed on a lot more than your skills, like your passion and your kindness. Dr Takanashi should be all the proof you need.” Welp, she feels like blushing now. “You’re a great doctor.”

“We’ll continue this conversation once you recover, okay?” She asks her saviour with the softest voice possible.

“Let’s… do that…”

Director Miller then takes a hold of the situation again.

“Then, let’s get Dr Ogami to the operating room and begin administrating anaesthesia.” The staff he ordered then does so, leaving them back to four people. “Dr Takanashi, Dr Nikaido, I’m sure you’re exhausted, but the Healing Touch may be the only hope that he has at this point.”

“Of course,” Tsumugi replies as she gets back up. “Losing Banri isn’t an option. I’ll do whatever it takes.” She glances at the other surgeon in the room. “Let’s work together, Yamato!”

“Ain’t gonna let you down.”

A couple moments later, they’re all back to the OR, prepped up and ready to go. However, now that they’re all standing in front of an anesthetized Dr Ogami, with Yamato in front of her and Iori by her side, her throat knots, her hands are trembling and her breathing is shallow. She’s scared, so scared; but it has to be done, and they’re the only ones who can do it. She better get it together as soon as possible.

“The tests came back positive for Savato,” Iori states. “However, there is a high probability that this is a… mutation of the strain. The points of focus will be to destroy Savato’s nest, neutralize its defence layer and attack it once it’s vulnerable. Let’s just… hope it’s that simple.” He sighs. “The Savato may travel to other areas during the procedure. In order to counteract this, you’ll both need to be involved in the surgery. If you work together, I think we can save Dr Ogami.”

Yamato, who must have noticed how she was focused on someone other than their patient, calls out to her and brings her back down to Earth.

“I get it that you’re stressed, Tsumugi, but we must do this.”

She shakes her head back into action.

“I understand. Are you ready too, Iori?”

“I’m ready when you are, Doctor.”

“If we’re all ready, then, let’s not waste any time.”

She finally grabs the antibiotic gel vial from the tray, carefully rubbing her fingers into it.

“Then, let’s begin the operation. Dr Ogami won’t die on my watch!”

Just like with her father, it starts with disinfecting the site of the cut and following it with a swift indent into the chest, rendering the heart accessible. Tsumugi is tasked with the first part of the operation, as she’s on the top half of the heart while Yamato positions himself on the bottom half of the organ. According to the little information they’ve gathered, this specific Savato strain is quicker than the one she’s fought before. Better be careful.

The main difference she can observe right off the bat is the red coating of Savato’s main body. The only other variation she spots is the speed at which the web turns red, prompting her to switch scalpels faster when it happens. Other than that, the procedure is like the two previous times until Savato leaves for the second half, allowing her to treat the few cuts she didn’t have the luxury to deal with before.

Yamato, as before, doesn’t break a sweat as he treats Savato. He flawlessly manoeuvres over the little bugs it spawns under the heart tissue, switches from laser to sutures in a split second and even manages to break out a joke when cutting the last strand of webbing. He’s almost too confident for her to follow when he manages to laser Savato as it departs back to the top half. He winks at her as he gives her back the bug.

Tsumugi then deals with weaking Savato’s shell with the laser while Yamato takes care of maintaining the vitals on his side. Unlike him, she relies on Iori to give her the needed tools (although she couldn’t mind more: he’s more effective than her own hands, at times), but she gets the job done anyway: after some time, the spider lets itself gets cut with the scalpel.

“Now’s our chance, Doctor!” Iori yells in a hoarse voice. “Inject the serum!”

As if used to it, she sees a star draw itself before her eyes. Yamato looks at her as if unaffected by time slowing down around them, which should surprise more than it does right about now.

“I’ve had enough of that GUILT crap!” He tells her with determination. “Cut it at least, Tsumugi!”

As a reply to him, she grins under her mask, draws a star, watches time come to a halt and picks up the serum and syringe, and…

“I won’t let you take Banri…!”

With one last injection, Savato vaporizes before their eyes, leaving behind the substance that cured her father and the Seventh Child’s injuries before. In silence, she lets her Healing Touch run out and finishes the procedure with sutures and a bandage.

“Now that’s what I call a happy ending,” Yamato sighs in relief.

“You saved us again, Dr Nikaido.”

“You both made this operation a success…” Unlike her, Iori sounds utterly exhausted, which she can only blame on him having focused more than Yamato and she did during today. “Two doctors with amazing abilities were able to save a third.” He sighs too. “The Healing Touch will be handed down, just as Dr Ogami wanted.”

They exit the OR and remove their scrubs. After such a lengthy operation, it feels nothing short of wonderful to be able to fit her usual uniform and meet again with her usual body odour. Once that’s said and done, they reunite in the corridors.

Relief washes over the fatigue she should have normally felt after using her Healing Touch in such an unorthodox manner. This may be her finally handling her powers correctly, it may be something else: in all cases, this is done and over with. Banri will be safe and sound once he recovers. There’s nothing to worry about anymore…

“Good job, everyone!” She congratulates the two men who made this possible alongside her. “I’m so glad we were able to pull through this.”

“Heh, you deserve most of the pats in the back here,” Yamato says with a knowing smirk. “Don’t be so modest, Tsum-Tsum.”

“Like… Like I said before…”

Tsumugi lifts her eyes from passing-by Caduceus USA staff when she hears the strain in her assistant’s voice.

“Iori, are you okay?” She asks, finally externalizing the worries she’s had for a while. “You’re looking a little pale, do you need to go lie down?”

“I… I…”

He coughs loudly into his palm, his other hand clutching his uniform, only for red to drip from his fingers.

“…Iori?”

She attempts walking to his side, bypassing Yamato. Her heartbeats start hammering inside her chest yet again, slipping into a crescendo trance.

“Stay away from me…!!”

Before she knows it, her assistant’s eyes roll back inside his skull, blood splattering on the ground and his limp form collapsing to the ground with a hand still clutching his chest, breathing heavily.

“Iori!!”

Yamato pulls her arm in front of her, right between her nurse and her.

“Do as he said and don’t get near him without some damn protection!”

“W-why?! He’s in pain, we… we need to help him!”

“He got infected with GUILT!”

The words barely register inside her mind.

“W-what?!”

“I’ll go get help, you keep an eye on him! And, above all, you _keep your distance_!”

“R-roger …”

Her legs almost buckle down under her weight as Yamato rushes out of the scene, white coat floating in the air, while she stares in disbelief at the unconscious form of her most trusted ally. She kneels down, hands clenched into loose fists.

That’s not fair! That’s just not _fair_ , no matter how you spin it! He’s helped saving countless lives and now, right as they should all be celebrating curing Banri and all of the other people they’ve operated on today, celebrating the last victory over GUILT, they’ll all be in the OR again – but this time, it won’t be all in the same spots. One of them will be _on_ the operating table and she can’t _stand_ the idea that it’s someone as innocent as her own assistant!

She wants to punch the wall and cry, but she knows more than anyone that she’ll need her hands sooner than she’d have ever wished, so she just weeps in silence while she has the time to do so.


	81. Hippocratic Oath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VII: Children of Asclepius - Chapter 9]  
>  _I don’t think I could ever operate on someone I personally know, Nurse Osaka._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've Been Tricked, You've Been Backstabbed and You've Been Quite Possibly, Bamboozled

_I don’t think I could ever operate on someone I personally know, Nurse Osaka._

When she told this sentence to her very first assistant, Tsumugi earnestly and adamantly believed she wouldn’t ever have to do it. She couldn’t have seen coming that’d she have to operate on her own mentor, her director, her workmates, her own father, the man who saved her when she was at her lowest and, now, the person she cares about the most.

Still unfair. Still tastes awfully bitter, like someone is pouring liquor down her throat without a single shred of her consent.

Someone entering the empty conference room, thus breaking the little meditation she wanted to have before having to reprise the scalpel one last time, surprises her.

“Tsumugi, you ready for this?”

Yamato sounds softer than he’s ever sounded until now, his own face marked with worry. It’s almost jarring to see such a confident, laidback man seem so intimidated by her own demeanour, all of a sudden.

“I… I don’t know, to be honest. I…”

“You didn’t expect to ever have to operate on Ichi, did’cha?”

“E-exactly… I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it…”

“I can operate too, y’know. That way, you just gotta be my assistant. He’ll be fine, I promise.”

“…I must be the one who operates on him.”

She only gets silent blinking as a response from her fellow surgeon.

“You sure about that? It’s not that I don’t believe you can’t, but… you’re shaking all over.”

“I’ve… I’ve got to! I need to repay Iori for all he’s done for me.”

“If you think so, then I can’t stop you. You do sound like you’re very attached to him, though.”

Tsumugi stares at him in silence. It sounds like an _Iori_ thing to ask, but what is the point of bringing that up now? Sure, she _is_ close to her assistant, maybe more than she should be; but what does that change to anything? He noticed that before the conference began. Now is not the time to remind her of how much he matters to her.

“Hey, don’t stare at me like that! I’m saying that because you must be as strong as your dad, am I wrong?”

“How… How do you know about my…?”

“I did some jobs for Delphi, back in Santa Balboa.” She really doesn’t know what to think. “I can’t stop time or anything, but my Healing Touch was enough for them to pay me a fat amount of cash. They needed me to keep GUILT subjects alive long enough to complete their research.” His expression darkens. “…In a way, that GUILT inside him wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for my mistakes.”

“But why are you…?”

“After Delphi’s Eidoth facility was raided, I cut a deal with Caduceus USA. I gave them a GUILT sample and my services in exchange for full immunity. That’s how I’ve chosen to atone for all the terrible shit I’ve done.”

“No, I… Why are you telling me all of this, now…?”

“Good question. I don’t really know myself. I guess I just… felt awful keeping all of that secret from Ichi and you. I kinda lied to you both multiple times on that matter.”

The words have trouble exiting her mouth, yet she nonetheless marches on.

“I… don’t know what drove you to Delphi, Yamato. I’ll never do. I can’t say you didn’t make at least a terrible mistake following Delphi, but… I’ve seen what you’ve done for people, today. I believe in your redemption.” She manages a small smile. “I trust you, Yamato.”

“Thank you.” On his side, he drops the smile. “I had my reservations, of course. Doubts about whether I even deserved to be operating on anyone anymore. However, I’ve come to realize something, thanks to Ichi and you: as long as I’m needed, I can be a doctor. Y’know, making honour on the Hippocratic Oath and all. I want my life back, just as much as you want to save his. We both need to keep fighting.”

“I believe in us.” Her voice is still meek and afraid. “I believe in Iori… and I believe in us.”

“Hey, don’t wanna be a bother and shit, but you _really_ sound _really_ shaken. You’re _really_ sure you should be handling this procedure?”

She can’t blame Yamato from doubting about that. If she was faced with someone like this, she’d also want to take over for them so they can rest and unwind. The only real reason why she’s so adamant on being the leading surgeon on this procedure is because of her personal attachment to Iori, not because she’s his doctor or anything. No, nursing him a little in her office doesn’t count as being his surgeon.

Still, she believes she knows herself. She has confidence in her abilities and in her objective: showing Iori how far she’s come thanks to their tandem and to their adventures across the world, from OR to OR. That’s why she can’t have Yamato lead the operation or, rather, why she can’t let herself step back from the head of the procedure: it’s something _she_ must do, not anyone else, as skilled or as experienced as they may be.

“Sure and certain.”

She then gives him the full reply he’s expecting and, right as she does so, she definitely steels her resolve about going through with what could be the most irrational decision of her life. That’s ironic, considering she’s about to operate on the one person who taught her to be logical. Oh well.

“I owe Iori so much that I just don’t have enough time to tell you about all of it. He’s been with me for so long, helped with so many things, that there is no way I’m not giving it back to him. He’s believed me all along and, now that it’s up to us to save him, I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever it takes to put an end to GUILT once and for all!”

Yamato stays silent.

“Iori knows GUILT too much not to have realized he got infected with it. I can’t deny it horrifies me to even imagine how much pain he was in while we operated on Savato, but I… I think I know why. He must have kept his suffering silent from us so we could focus on the procedure…”

“Then, let’s not make him wait any longer. Let’s go save his ass and celebrate with style once that’s all said and done, ’kay?”

She nods.

“Yes. Let’s go, Yamato.”

Tsumugi tries putting her stress aside as they step inside the OR. Now is the grand finale to their fight against GUILT and she’ll make sure she makes it the best procedure of her career, for the sake of the world, for her sake and, of course, for her beloved assistant’s sake.

Better pepper her unprofessionalism with a lot of deontology.


	82. Second Opinion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VII: Children of Asclepius - Chapter 10]   
> There's an unspeakable rage and sensation of guilt rising in her veins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, TC players: I put 6-4 at the end of the story. My friends may remember me ranting about how 6-4, "Second Opinion", should've been at the end of SO for maximum emotional impact - but they made 6-8 a boring operation. Like, it's just red Savato. Next.  
> As such, I decided to go wild with the idea and include it here. However, any TC player would notice something's afoot here: I swapped the roles around! oh no. quite the trick wouldn't you say.  
> (no)  
> ((i've always been very predictable))

Yamato had yet to see her be so nervous under her scrubs: consider that corrected. Until now, even if she’s shown herself to be anxious when the surgery had high stakes, personal to her or not, she tried to keep it concealed within her chest and not to let any spew out onto her face or leak in her words. However, tonight is very much different.

Is this a professional mistake Iori would nag at her for? Absolutely. He’d probably even look down on her for being so vulnerable in the face of adversity. Yuki would probably tell her now, more than never, that a doctor’s relationships don’t matter once you’ve gone through the doors of the OR. Yes, yes, she knows all of her lessons, she has rehearsed their notes and lyrics over and over again; but it doesn’t help. It’s like drinking water after eating a pepper: it seems like it’ll be enough, but you mostly risk the burn worsening.

“Here are the test results,” Yamato hands her with very little ceremony. It’s not like they’ve got the time to ponder about that to begin with anyway.

She gets the feeling she’s misread the writing on the wall, but the reality settles in against her will.

“The Chiral reaction shows two readings…”

“Yep. He got infected by two different strains of GUILT at the same time.”

There’s no use in denying the situation, now.

“Doesn’t that mean it could be too late…?”

“There’s no reason to assume the worst, y’know. Ichi’s young and healthy, it’s not like he’s gonna crumble under his own weight soon.”

“You’re…” She’s about to sound a little too down, so she forces herself to perk up. “You’re right! I shouldn’t let myself get won over so easily.” She then slaps her cheeks to psych up again. “Do we know which strains of GUILT are involved?”

“Kyriaki and Paraskevi. I think you’ve got a little idea of what area’s affected here.”

“Iori’s heart,” she replies as she realizes just how painful this must have been (the mere idea that Paraskevi got the time to burrow its way to its final destination almost makes her nauseous, but she better keep her stomach somersaults to herself). “Kyriaki’s lacerations are going to present a serious danger to his vitals, while we’ll need to keep Paraskevi on watch and prevent it from burrowing at any cost. We won’t be allowed any mistakes, so we’ll both need complete concentration.”

“That’s more like it. Just… hold it together, okay?” Yamato tells her with a smile and a hand on her shoulder.

She inhales, exhales, and puts on her mask.

“Let’s begin.”

Tsumugi tried to pretend she was ready for this earlier, but she really wasn’t, and her hands tremble a little as she picks up the scalpel. She’s opened a lot of people up over the past year, sometimes people in a critical condition, and sometimes even people she knew – but this feels like a first, all over again, as if she’s forgotten everything she’s ever done before. The anxiety of her firsts (first surgery, first surgery on someone she knows, first surgery in foreign territories) is coming back to her

Her cut is slow and meticulous, even more so than the first time she opened a patient in front of Dr Orikasa, even more than during her first procedure with Nurse Osaka, even more than when she was operating on her father or on Banri. This is the last stand against GUILT, she can feel it, but the fact it had to be on _him_ keeps haunting her, no matter how much she tries to shake the thought away. She needs to keep her composure, as she was taught by both her mentor and her assistant, or else the operation will turn sour, and she can’t have that.

Iori believes in her, she’s dead certain about that, so she needs to prove to him he’s right to have put all of his faith in her.

She grants herself access to the heart, revealing two familiar cuts on its surface.

“Those look like Kyriaki lacerations,” Yamato describes as he takes a glance. “I’ll be keepin’ an eye on the vitals. You just focus on eradicating GUILT, m’kay?”

“Roger!”

She sutures the cuts shut, only for two Paraskevi worms to rear their ugly heads. To both of their surprises, these are much shorter than the long, dreadful worm she’s used to operating on. Well, she’s in luck then, considering she can just laser them still and take them out before patching some more injuries left behind. With a couple of laser beams and two slick movements of the forceps, the worms are out of there, and she can almost let herself breathe out a sigh of relief.

Tsumugi doesn’t let the infection breathe for even a moment: once she’s done with Paraskevi and can attest Yamato is taking care of the vitals for her, she moves onto Kyriaki, finding it with the ultrasound, then proceeding as usual: gently cut into the organ’s membrane, wait for the thing to show up, laser it to death. It feels weirdly routine-like for such an important milestone in so many regards, but it’s probably better that way. If she feels like she’s used to it despite how abnormal it is to fight two strains of GUILT at the same time, then she gets the impression she can absolutely do it. _Keep it up, Tsumugi, you can do it!_

“Chiral reaction is rising! Be careful!” Yamato’s voice breaks through the focused silence.

Appear at the same time two things she doesn’t ever want to see combined again: the signature triple laceration from a mature Kyriaki and two Paraskevi worms, this time, twice as big as they were before. She already picks the laser up.

“Be careful. He’s weakened from the infection and, y’know, his heart being eaten from the inside out. I’ll be keeping his vitals in check, but we can’t have him go into heart failure on us. We wouldn’t be able to resuscitate him because of the GUILT infection if it ever comes to that.”

She gulps, fighting against the noose in her throat.

“Of course. We’ll see this operation through.”

Tsumugi marches on, mindful of the vitals as she attacks Paraskevi. It’ll be tense now that they know there is Kyriaki swimming under the surface and the incoming lacerations from Paraskevi splitting in half. The patient should be able to take it, but in the chance he doesn’t, then she already asks his spirit for forgiveness… and proceeds.

“Yamato, could you please suture after me? We can’t let the patient haemorrhage on us.”

“Sure thing,” he replies without skipping a beat, making her confident enough to get into the grit of things.

With her newfound courage, Tsumugi freezes both Paraskevi in place, then cuts through them. Yamato’s fingers quickly dance around the lacerations as she continues pursuing them, lasering once more before finally prying them out with a shaky forceps. That is, unless she’s too slow to catch one of the two, and then she sees it.

Its tail is twitching.

_It’s going to burrow into the heart._

Tsumugi doesn’t think or even takes the time to do so: she draws a star with her eye’s pencil and slows time to a crawl, taking out the last Paraskevi before it can deal a fatal blow. The sloppy shape of the star makes it so she only focuses as sharply for a couple second before Yamato’s fingers catch back up to her. There is, however, no time for admiring the situation with a kind of distant eye: she needs to act fast.

“Well damn, we almost lost the patient there, didn’t we…?” He sounds a little breathless from surprise, but nonetheless relieved. “Good job, though. Chiral reaction droppin’!”

Kyriaki is more of the usual, now that Paraskevi is out of the way. She alternates between her tools, missing the warmth of her assistant’s hands, rotating between ultrasound, scalpel and laser, trying to do so as flawlessly as she can while keeping the threat in check. The immature Kyriaki go as soon as they come, but the mature Kyriaki has got her worried, especially with how much Yamato is frowning at the vitals.

“Vitals dropping! If you don’t finish it fast, the situation will get critical!”

The panic in his voice prompts her to enter a focused state again, albeit it’s not like the Healing Touch: it’s more like pouring all of your possible focus into one decisive move.

As soon as his sentence finishes, she deals the last blow to the last specimen present, putting an end to the main part of the procedure and, in a way, to the fight with GUILT. Once she’s done, the first thing she does is to inject as much stabilizer as she can, almost snatching the syringe from Yamato’s hands, then she sutures the last injuries she can find on the heart.

“Chiral reaction is negative. You can close the patient now.”

You don’t have to tell her: she closes the initial incision, then applies as much antibiotic gel as her colleague will allow her to, and delicately puts on the bandage with hands that only want to tremble and shake.

“You were amazing, Dr Takanashi,” Yamato tells her as she staggers back from the operation table, her breathing heavy and all of her body sweating and trembling.

“I-I should be the one praising you, Dr Nikaido. T-thank you for… for helping me save Iori.”

She barely has the strength to remain on her feet, so he quickly orders a nearby nurse to take care of the patient before bringing her outside and sitting her on the first chair he can find.

“I can’t say it enough,” she continues to spew in a trembling voice which can barely get words out anymore, “thank you, Yamato.”

“Just did my job, y’know!” He chuckles as if he hadn’t allowed the operation to be a success, putting his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll be fine soon. You’ll be the first one to visit him, I promise.”

Water is pooling in her eyes, but she tries to brush it off. Not now, not now…

“Hey, why are you hiding your tears? You deserve to be relieved! Let’s go get some rest, okay? I could use a power nap right about now.”

Tsumugi brushes her eyes one last time before slowly getting up, mindful of her balance.

She really could use some rest too, as difficult as it’ll be to get some when she knows her assistant is far from her; but, at least, he’ll be safe, all thanks to two surgeons who were in the right spot at the right time.


	83. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT VII: Children of Asclepius - Chapter 11]  
> After the emotional storm of pain comes the introspective calm of relief.

He’s still alive, huh?

Well, that proves his theory right: she could _absolutely_ pull it off. He was right to trust her all along, even if in doing so he must have betrayed her trust and their unspoken bond of spoken truth, the one where they promised they’d always tell each other if something was wrong after months of hiding the worst of themselves. He can only hope she’ll forgive her for the breach of contract, but it had to be done for the greater good.

Coming to is a weird experience, despite him having lost consciousness not even a year ago in weirdly similar circumstances. His chest is sore, breathing is a little weird and his senses are muffled enough that he’s barely noticed the nasal conducts inserted inside his system. His body is too lethargic for him to move much and it feels like he’s been woken up in the middle of the night after pulling a couple all-nighters – has the anaesthesia not entirely faded away from his system? He just feels so much… heavier than what he can remember of a previous surgery.

He can move his head a little though, thank goodness gracious. There’s an IV in his arm with what he’d guess to be a saline solution, judging from the transparent pocket and general medical knowledge. Seems like he hasn’t lost that much blood during the operation… Surprising, but Tsumugi was the one to operate on him, so maybe this isn’t this out of the ordinary. His mind is a little foggy right now, so this could be why he’s so out of answer to his questions.

The light burns his eyes a little, so he can’t see much other than what he’s noticed up until now. The room is as blue and white as the other rooms in the hospital parts of Caduceus USA. He can feel some warmth near his hand, but that’s kind of it, the rest of the room’s hair is very uniform. Some noise he can hear more and more on his left side tells him the warmth on his hand is _someone_ ’s, but really, it’s all very cryptic and he can’t decipher much on his own at the moment.

His vision clears up, making him realize a pair of eyes is now staring into his, hair going down the person’s face and onto his bedsheets. He doesn’t need to blink twice to know who this is, especially since he doesn’t remember ever seeing someone like her in America so far. The faint fragrance he can now kind of smell over the disinfectants around him only confirm his theories.

“Iori?”

The voice definitely matches too. Speaking sounds like it’ll be a chore, but he should at least give it a shot. Hearing his voice would most likely soothe out some of the concern she must have had for him while he was out.

“Good… morning?”

God, that smile. Comforting and warm at the same time. Splendid and luminous. What wouldn’t he do to see it, despite the tears he can see in her eyes?

“It’s actually the middle of the afternoon”, she chuckles. “I’m so relieved you’re still here, you don’t even know!”

Now that everything is clearer, he can notice so much more: the fatigue on her face, the chair by the side of the bed, her tangled hair that is trying to escape from the pink tie’s tight embrace, the relief he can simply _sense_ in her voice despite the chuckling.

“Have you been here for long…?” He asks, eyes fixated on the now empty chair with a familiar jacket on its back.

“A-ah, just a couple hours. I had to go check on a couple of the patients we operated on. Ah, also, before I forget, Dr Ogami wishes you a swift recovery. He was worried too when I told him why you weren’t with me!”

That’s right. Very rarely does she visit patients without him: they’re always together because she once told him they were a team and needed to be congratulated as one. He still doesn’t think his services are worth equal praise (she saved him, not the other way around, and clearly he wasn’t there to make the operation a success), but he can see why people who know their habits like Dr Ogami would find it odd that she’d be alone. It hasn’t been the first time, so he can only wish it’ll be the last, as unlikely as that possibility sounds.

Tsumugi sits back down in her chair, still holding onto his hand like a lifeline. He isn’t dying anymore, so he’d appreciate if she didn’t treat him like a glass statue; but the warmth of her tough is too desirable to let go off.

“You don’t even _know_ how much you scared me, Iori! I thought we had lost you there!”

“You have… my apologies, Doctor.”

“I’m… I’m sure I know why you did it, Iori, but it’s just… I got surprised, and then I got so scared, because I really thought Delphi had taken you away before I could anything about it right when we should’ve been celebrating!”

Her voice is heavy with feelings. If he’s to assume, he’d guess she’s been keeping it all bottled in for a little while.

“I should’ve informed you of it,” is all he says in response. “Sorry.”

Clearly, he doesn’t deserve to be her loyal assistant, the one she keeps bringing with her everywhere and presents proudly as her one and only trusted companion in the OR, but again… he’s greedy and, even worse, he’s furiously in love. 

“It’s all fine. What matters is that you’ve pulled through…”

A tear falls off her eye, then two, then three. She turns around to brush them away with her arm, careless as to how much water she was spilling in the process and where. He may have been firm much earlier in his decision not to tell her so she’d be focused on Dr Ogami’s surgery, seeing her reaction to him merely waking up is bringing up possible remorse for his actions.

Makes him wonder about what “the greater good” really was in this situation, even if the answer is still clear in a part of his mind. His logic and work ethic just scream at him that what he did was for the right because anything else would have been selfish; but was making Tsumugi so concerned for him not selfish too? Sure, she could always find herself a new assistant nurse, but if there’s one thing she’s made him feel like is that he’s _unique_. He’d have said “it’s better this way” before, but now, he’d say it’s a positive for another reason entirely.

“Never do that again, okay?”

The grip on his head strengthens.

“I don’t plan on ever contracting GUILT again, if that reassures you.”

“Good! I can’t lose you to anything like that!”

The grip loosens and her voice gives into a feeling he wishes he’d have never seen on her face.

“…don’t leave me,” she wails. “It… just wouldn’t be the same without you.”

His chest aches. Her tone, her words, the anguish on her face as she imagines what could’ve been if he had never woken up again… The sort of things he really hadn’t thought of at all before taking his decision of pulling through what he knew to be a deadly infection. He’s surprised she isn’t outright scolding him, considering how he treated her, as much as this era seems begone.

“You… You almost died, back there. I almost let Paraskevi burrow into your heart. It… it could’ve ended in a complete disaster.”

She shakes her head and puts back on a smile.

“But it didn’t happen. I did it, right? Yamato and I saved you, and now, GUILT is no more. You were our last patient. As much as I wish we’d have won that last battle together, I’m content with us having buried it once and for all, both alive…”

“I s’pose it’s… more than good enough…”

The silence comes back, soft and comfortable. They’re both tired yet don’t feel the need to force themselves to speak. (She does deserve a much better chair than the one she’s sitting in at the moment). Despite this, however, it seems words are naturally coming to her, words he’s more than glad to listen to.

“We’ve come so far together, yet I can’t believe it’s been that long… I feel like it was just yesterday that you were scrutinizing me for my unprofessionalism and I was trying to get you to open up. Everything just went by so quickly that it’s like I’ve never gotten the time to realize how long it’s truly been. I can’t believe it’s a little over a year since we first met!”

He nods along, smiling. Even with the deep-set bag under her eyes, she’s beautiful.

“It was hard in the beginning for us to get along, but I’m glad that it’s with you that I got through this, and I really hope you feel the same way. Plus, with this operation, I feel like I’ve finally managed to pay you back, so… Yeah. I hope it isn’t one-sided on my part.” She chuckles. “It’s okay it if is, though, if we remain friends. I just want to be with you even now that GUILT is done and over with.”

He tries to squeeze her hand back as a response. It’s warm and soft, despite how many times a surgeon needs to wash her hands. (He does know the secret to it, of course, and that’s the vanilla-scented hand cream she always uses; not that he’d ever tell anyone else about it, he’d rather have them believe it’s all a miracle and she’s just born with eternally smooth skin).

“Same here…”

His reply makes her jump a little on her seat, her grip on his hand letting go for a moment before growing back stronger than it was.

“Really?! W-well, guess I should’ve seen it coming, considering what happened and… all you did for me, which must’ve been for a reason, b-but…” She’s red as a poppy. Adds to her charm. “You see what I mean! God, you always reads through me anyway…”

That’s actually kind of wrong, considering he didn’t expect her to worry this much over him, but the nefarious part of him knows he’s noticed how affectionate she’s been with him compared to every other man she’s been talking to.

“I’d also like to add you owe me nothing…. Especially for just doing my job.”

“I-I knew you’d say that, somehow, but… It’s weird to say, but it was more for me, you know? I felt like I needed to do something to pay you back and this was it. You’ve helped me so much that it was only fair of me to help you back.”

“And what about that time you took care of me in your office?”

“That was when you did that for me while I was comatose.”

“Good point you’re raising there…”

Tsumugi finds her footing again, genuinely smiling. He gets reminded once more of what he’d do to make this smile eternal and at what extreme ends that’d represent – before he just gets overwhelmed by how it melts him down. They’re in no situation of harm, so his passion only takes the form of passive devotion to everything she is.

“I’m glad we’ll be able to continue working together once we get back to Japan. We had to reschedule our flight back home because of your recovery, but it’s fine, Caduceus USA paid it for us as an apology for letting the situation unfold in the first place… Plus, Banri is also stuck here until he also gets better. It’ll be a little slow around here for some days, but it’ll be all fine!”

“How is Dr Ogami?”

“He’s doing well, the operation was a success. He’s expected to recover in a week or so thanks to Caduceus USA’s latest findings in regenerative medicine. He shouldn’t even suffer from scar tissues on the heart. Same for you, actually!

“That’s a good thing to know…”

“Isn’t it? I was so happy when they told me that! You’ll make a full recover despite how bad the situation got. As long as you follow doctor’s orders, everything’ll be alright!”

Hey, you know what? There’s one thing he hasn’t done in a while that he could do, now that the danger is past them.

“Especially if that doctor is you… It’s been too long since you’ve been fretting over me.”

Her reaction is as expected: her face gets covered in crimson and she stutters on her words for a moment. It’s been too long indeed…

“I-I-I… _Iori_!!”

“I do like being spoiled from time to time.”

Her expression devolves into completely fluster, causing him to light-heartedly chuckle.

“I reassure you; you don’t have to put up with my tantrums.”

“I… I don’t mind, actually,” she nervously laughs, looking aside. “I’d rather do that for a little while than taking care of Caduceus USA’s mess.”

“Good.”

He wishes he could keep that urge to yawn to himself, but it nonetheless makes its way into the outside world. If he was less tired, he’d have immensely minded, especially around Tsumugi whom he doesn’t want to sound bored with (especially since it’s never the case). Today, however, isn’t exactly your average Tuesday. Surgical procedures do take a toll on everyone else involved.

“I think we both deserve a nice beauty sleep, don’t we?” Tsumugi asks, already getting up, her fingers slowly parting from his. Too bad…”

“I agree,” he yawns again. “Get yourself a comfortable bed instead of that chair.”

“Will do. Goodnight, Iori.”

“Goodnight to you too,” he hesitates on which name to call her, before keeping in touch, “Tsumugi.”

She exits the room in a rush, he feels his blood do the same in his face, and he wonders if he’ll even be able to fall asleep on his own because of how flustered he’s suddenly feeling. Playing with fire is dangerous, got it, especially if it’s the one burning right inside his chest…

Wait, that sounds cheesy too. God does he need rest…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you thought I wasn't gonna end this fic on some IoTsumu shit, you were dead wrong.  
> The Epilogue will come on December 31st, just so I can kiss that awful year goodbye my way. Plus, I think I stil have readers who need a severe catch-up lmao


	84. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Caduceus Japan to turn the page and focus on what's yet to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I promised, I'm posting the last chapter of INA on the very last day of the shitshow year that was 2020. This story has been quite the silent ride for the most part, with me just telling my friends about where I was in my progress with MS-Painted charts and all based on my Word document. Most of the chapter titles on there were just canon TC:SO names and almost none of them are in the final version. That's funny.  
> It feels weird to put a definitive end to INA, to think I'll never have to write for it or post it anymore. It's been a wild, what, 8 months? Man, 2020 was wack, time felt all weird and wacky this year.

Ever since they came back to Japan, Tsumugi has been sent a number of messages from a wide variety of people.

Yuki and Momo ask her how she’s doing and give her news from Hope and from Momo’s humanitarian missions around the world now that GUILT has allowed borders to be reopened, always including some juicy details about whatever is their latest favourite topic.

Riku gives his own point of view on what happens in Hope with a characteristic optimism that has nothing to do with how they first met, never failing to mention everything great about his workmates and patients despite the difficulties of being a nurse in a post-GUILT society where illnesses have started to make people fear for the worst.

Nurse Osaka tells her about how he’s been doing in his new workplace, then goes on to describe to her who everyone is. He also provides a helpful list of restaurants and shops she could go to if she ever decides to go to Fukuoka to pay him a visit or if she’s just touring there.

Some patients get back to her and thank her again for saving their lives in a time where nobody else could have. The cutest so far is Koi who sends her drawings, some of which depict her as a superheroine straight out of a comic or epic manga, while Iori is usually featured as a stern-looking sidekick. While she’s feeling flattered, maybe her assistant wouldn’t be so thrilled.

So many people whose messages helped her through what were strangely difficult times.

Soon enough, however, they go back to Japan and, at long last, Iori and she can step back into their good old staff room, where they both get greeted by a large “welcome home” banner and a bunch of confetti. Judging by his wide grin, Tamaki was the one behind the idea, while Gaku is passively trying not to mind the glitter in his hair. Everyone else seems pretty much fine with the theatrics, albeit it could be because they’re all used to it and their return is simply significant enough not to rain on Tamaki’s parade. To be honest, she finds it adorable.

It’s been at least a month since they last all saw each other, so the excitement is understandable on that front. They were supposed to come back within a couple weeks, but the situation at Caduceus USA considerably postponed their flight, and they happened to leave an entire week after Banri because his infection had been less taxing than Iori’s (sleep deprivation tends to do a number on your system and so does Paraskevi). Of course, she could’ve left before and reunited with Caduceus Japan earlier, whom she missed greatly during her days in America; but she’d have never left without Iori, especially if it meant leaving him behind on his own. As much as she believes in Yamato’s redemption and his good intentions, she was very much against the idea of letting her dearest assistant in a country he didn’t know during a time of major vulnerability.

Still, calls through the Internet have never replaced human contact (and most likely never will, at least, not in its entirety), so she isn’t too surprised when Tamaki and Nagi immediately rush to hug her while Gaku side-eyes the entire ordeal and Mitsuki laughs gleefully. Kaoru is the one to tell everyone to give them some air to breathe before herself greeting them. Ryuu is the last to join, arriving right after them in the room because of a procedure he had to take care of. Business as usual at Caduceus Japan.

The break room is extraordinarily fancy compared to what it usually is, considering they dressed a table for their return. Everyone is here too when surely at least one person must have their time off today and someone else ought to have been on the night shift (judging from the rings under his eyes, it’s got to be Ryuu). The attention is very touching, to say the least.

Their time in America was rough, so she appreciates their efforts even more because of it. It felt lonely back there, surrounded by people they didn’t know, speaking a language they were familiar but not born with. Yamato may have been there to fill the void a little, but she missed her colleagues and so did Iori, as much as he was never going to admit to it openly and entirely. It just never felt like home and, now that this feeling is back in full swing, she can definitely confirm it was like being a stranger in a strange land.

It was about the small things, really. The fact she didn’t have to take off her shoes to enter her building. The programs on TV when she was spending free time with Iori in his room. The dispensers in the break room of Caduceus and their different drinks. The dollar signs everywhere, replacing every instance of yen. It never felt like a place where she belonged. This break room, with all of her colleagues (who happen to be her friends too), on the other hand, is exactly what she was seeking on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

Everything is so familiar here: the scent of cheap dispenser coffee, the mess that is the trash bin, Ryuu’s lab coat on the coat hanger near the entrance, Nagi’s locker covered in Magical Kokona stickers, Tamaki’s empty King Pudding cups still showing in the bin or on the table… Yeah, it sure is home alright.

They all sit down around the table for an inevitable chat, since everyone seems very curious of what happened on the other side of the ocean. Iori of course rises the question of them being in a break room all together; Ryuu replies there’s barely been any activity since GUILT got stopped, giving them some leeway at long last. Iori doesn’t seem too at ease with the idea, but after she tells him that they’ll be all good and make it quick if he’s stressing out about it, he accepts to stay there and talk it all out.

As always, Tsumugi handles most of the speaking. She starts with their arrival at Caduceus USA, then continues to unfold the story: meeting Yamato (while omitting what he told her; Iori and she shall be the only ones to know his secret outside Caduceus USA’s core), working on weird mutations of GUILT, the disastrous conference and the outbreak that unfolded as a result of the Americans’ carelessness with Bliss (and Owen’s betrayal), the Savato operation on Banri, the final showdown against GUILT and, at long last, the slow recovery that followed.

Telling this story once more reminds her of where it all started: in Hope Hospital, right at the end of her residency there, with Yuki and Nurse Osaka by her side, before Iori took the latter’s place after he had to leave the city. Their relationship was tense and it almost lead to a man’s death, but fortunately, she made it up to medicine by causing a miracle. Everything snowballed from that point on: the accidental discovery of her Healing Touch, Banri’s harsh and concerned words, Nurse Nanase’s inexplicable chest injuries, the first faces of GUILT, her decision to join Caduceus. In less than a year, she went from being a rookie surgeon who had still so much to learn from her peers to someone whom, according to her workmates, is considered modern medicine’s greatest saviour (it’s way too much considering everyone helped her along the way).

And now, after all of this, after an entire year of saving lives and getting ever so deeper in the shadows of the unknown and the uncertain, they’re greeted by the smiles of some of the people they’ve shared this adventure with. It was one ride like none other, and despite its lows and its dreadful moments, she has no regret to have been a part of it. She did what she had to do, that’s all, and she managed to pull it off – she’s proud, of course; but she’ll never let it get to her head, knowing what that could lead to. Plus, it’s not like Iori will ever allow her to become a narcissistic shadow of her own self, so… Nothing to be scared of!

She doesn’t know where life will bring them next. For now, they’ll both be working at Caduceus alongside their comrades in the war against GUILT, occasionally calling Nurse Osaka and Yamato whenever possible. Things are going to get much calmer from now on compared to what they’ve been used to, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be sleeping on their good deeds: now that GUILT is no more, they’ll be able to focus their efforts on other illnesses to make disappear from the world.

Well, she’ll see. There’s no need to worry about the future when it looks so bright: she’s working alongside the person she trusts the most on Earth, collaborating with people she’s grown to consider as friends, and has gone through one of humanity’s darkest moments, one that could have resulted in so much worse consequences that it ended up doing. There is no bad omen in sight and only possibilities to explore from now on; it’d be too bad not to enjoy it for what it could be.

As such, it’s as the blossomed surgeon who saved the world from GUILT that she intends on helping save even more lives with her beloved assistant right by her, tackling what is to come head-on with a hopeful optimism and experience in store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly wish I had more to say about INA ending, but truth be told, I just want this thing out of the door. I wrote it in massive bursts at a time, only to ignore it for weeks afterwards. Don't get me wrong, I love that I got to make my stupid "IoTsumu TC AU" concept from early 2019 into an actual thing that people can actually ready and I'm even proud of having somehow done so in a timely manner; but I just have... nothing, really?  
> I'm grateful for anyone who's supported me on this journey, namely Rae, Jou and Platy who've been my three main readers. I'm grateful for anyone who's reading this after going throughg 84 chapters of whatever the hell INA is.   
> At least, 2020 will have given me that.


End file.
